The Lost Warrior
by Black Tribal
Summary: When Hatch Striker wakes up in Shinjuku Park while stuck in an AssassinRenamon's body, he must now try to survive being chased by the Tamers while trying to figure out his new powers.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I decided that I was going to at least try to expand out a little to different crowds, including those who like Digimon. I am going to admit right now that I am borrowing some elements from the _Assassin's Creed _series, since I _love_ those games. This story will switch between 1st person and 3rd person and will be written in a different format.**

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Digimon or any thing from the Assassin's Creed games.

A stream of sunlight flowed over Hatch Striker's eyelids, waking him up.

He slowly opened his eyes to the blinding sunlight. Hatch quickly closed them when the sun's rays made his head hurt.

Even though his muscles protested to the sudden movements, he sat up and rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes.

What I felt, though, made my eyes shoot open. I saw that my hands now looked like paws. _'What the hell?'_ I quickly crawled over to a pond that was nearby. I stared at my reflection.

Even though I still had my hazel colored eyes, I looked like some sort of fox. I had silver fur with black fur on the tips of my ears, my underbelly, the ends of my feet and my hands, and I had a black mane. I also had a tail that was silver with black at the tip. I looked sort of familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.

A small shifting noise knocked me out of my thoughts and I turned towards it. Lying in the ground where I was previously unconscious was folded pieces of clothing with a bunch of weapons resting next to them.

The strange Renamon crawled over back to where he woke up. The folded clothing was a large, solid white and hooded cowl with a shoulder cape that draped over one side. The other pieces of clothing were a pair of long gloves that went up to his elbows that were a plain black color.

Hatch then turned his attention to the pile of equipment. The pile consisted of a pair of vambraces that were a silver and black color and had a blade hidden in them, a black belt ,which was about twice the width of a normal belt and had pouches hanging off of it, what looked like a Bowie knife with a black blade and silver sheath, and a Kusarigama.

Thinking that these were for me, I quickly put on the cowl with the cape on my left side and pulled the hood up, the pair of gloves with the vambraces on the outside were next, then the belt was soon put on.

I then put the knife on the belt with the handle pointing forward and then I took the Kusarigama and, since it was a chained weapon, wrapped it around my waist a few times until it was nice and tight with the weight and the sickle on my left side.

Once that was done, I began to search the pouches to see what I had in them. Only one pouch was occupied and it had a strange device in it. The device was somewhat small with a few black buttons and a small screen on it that was surrounded by black. The rest of the device was silver, including the strap that was attached to it.

"Greetings."

Hatch was surprised.

"You can talk?"

"Yeah."

"What are you?"

"I am what's called a D-Arc. I am a generation four."

"Cool, can you tell me what I am?"

"Yes. You are an AssassinRenamon."

Now Hatch knew why he looked familiar. He was a Renamon, just like in that old _Digimon Tamers_ show he used to watch.

"Am I in a place called Shinjuku?"

"Yep."

Hatch paused for a moment.

"I'm guessin' that there are probably a group of kids and Digimon heading towards my location?"

"My scanners show that you are correct."

All of a sudden, I heard someone shout 'Diamond Storm' and, knowing what that meant, I quickly ducked down and watched the glowing projectiles fly over my head. Turning my head, I saw a fist covered in flames coming straight for my face.

Hatch quickly swiped the fist away with his right arm and then jumped right to his feet. Now facing his opponent, he saw who he expected to see. Standing in front of him was the one and only Renamon. Her yellow fur was glowing from the sunlight and her white fur was as bright as snow.

Digging around in my head for some moves, I came across one that I thought would work. I sprinted forward with my fists glowing with silver flames. "Metal Inferno!" My fist connected with her stomach, knocking the wind out of her and launching her back.

I then noticed something. I was like half a foot shorter than her!

A solid punch in the stomach knocked me out of my thoughts and launched me into the air. When I hit the ground, I retched a little and then stood back up, my legs feeling really shaky and my vision blurring.

Knowing that his inexperience was going to get him killed, Hatch decided take the lesser of two evils. Spinning on his heel, he took off in a full out sprint with Renamon hot on his heels.

After looking for another move in his mind, he found one that most definitely would work. His body instantly lost all of it's color, then turned into a solid black form. He jumped into a shadow that was being formed by a tree and quickly melded into the shadow, disappearing from Renamon's view.

Renamon smashed her fist into the tree.

"Dammit, I let him get away."

Rika Nonaka ran up to her vulpine partner

"Don't worry Renamon, we'll get him."

Renamon sighed and nodded

"I guess you're right, Rika."

Hatch reappeared from a shadow that was being cast from a water tower on a nearby skyscraper, though he then lost his balance and fell off of the platform the water tank was on and landed flat on his face.

"Ow."

"That had to hurt."

Hatch glared at the D-Arc that was now strapped to his wrist.

"Shut up."

I then walked over to the edge of the skyscraper and stared off into the large city that was before me.

"Jeez, this is a large city."

I then sat down with my legs hanging over the ledge and pulled my hood down.

"Even with Renamon trying to kill me and being stuck in a Digimon's body, maybe this whole thing might actually be kind of fun."

**Author's Note: My first attempt at a Digimon story. Remember to leave a review and maybe possible suggestions on how I could make it better.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I guess I should try to squeeze in what time I can to write for my different fics. I'm not gonna let school keep me from writing! I guess that I might as well return to writing the way I normally do.**

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Digimon or the Assassin's Creed elements, just my OC's.

(Hatch's POV)

I sat on the platform that an old wooden water tower was sitting on. A few minutes ago, I found the tower and hit some good luck when I found out it was hollow and abandoned.

Standing up, I decided to use a new move I discovered called 'Blade Conjure', which allows me to call upon any type of bladed weapon I can think of. After a large broadsword appeared in a flash of bright light, I immediately got to work on the wooden water tank.

Using the energy the sword had, I created a small door so that I could crawl into the water tank, though I kept the 'door' intact so that I could cover the opening.

Once I was done, I crawled back out of the tank and decided to go look for anything that could be useful for my 'new home'.

I first hit the alleyways, because maybe someone threw out something useful. I had another stroke of luck when I found a pile of quilts and blankets lying next to a dumpster. Quickly grabbing as many as I could carry, I used my powerful legs to jump onto a high building, then I ran towards my 'home'.

After the rather difficult task of getting into the wooden old water tank with my 'load', I quickly laid some blankets down on the floor of the tank and then I piled the rest in a corner.

My stomach growled and I rested my hand on it. I then looked at the D-Arc on my wrist

"Do ya know where I could get some food." "Of course. There's an American restaurant at the next block." "How do you know that?" "I have a GPS built into me." "Uh, alright."

I decided to not ask questions and maybe try to get something to eat. The minute I was at the front door, I was met with something I didn't expect to see.

There, sitting at a table that was near the door, was most of the Tamers group, and some of their Digimon were there, including Guilmon, Terriermon, Lopmon, MarineAngemon, Guardromon for some reason, and, worst of all, Renamon.

I stood there like an idiot for about 10 seconds before they all pretty much yelled out 'Rogue Digimon!'

and started running towards me. Of course, Renamon just phased away from the group and reappeared in front of me.

I quickly dodged her 'Power Paw' and started to run in the opposite direction. Renamon reached forward and grabbed me by the collar of my cowl.

"You're not going anywhere." I struggled to get out of her grasp.

"I'm sorry." I whispered quietly before I did a dirty tactic that I would hate myself for doing later. I stamped my foot down, hard, on her foot. She let out a small yelp before releasing me.

I sprinted forward to escape the fist that was about to strike me in the head and headed into an alley way that was next to the building. I noticed a building in front of me and remembered that I could phase into shadows. I looked behind me and saw that Renamon was hot on my heels and could almost reach out and grab me again.

I decided to take a chance and I dived into the building's shadow. Before I was completely in the Shadow Plane, I heard someone shout "Oh no you don't!" and I felt someone grab my leg, effectively dragging them in with me.

Since I basically had to just float through the plane, I picked a shadow that was near my home, dumbest mistake I could make, and jumped through the shadow barrier.

I must have been in there a long time, because when I fell out of the shadow and landed, painfully, on the ground, the sky was heavily overcast with dark clouds and I had a little bit of frost on me.

You see, the Shadow Plane, despite it's name, was actually quite a place. When in the plane, the scenery around is the same, as if you are back in the normal plane, but the colors are heavily faded and the shadows that the buildings, plants, people, and even the cloud cover are making are very well defined. They look like swirling masses of crude oil. All I have to do is phase into one of these shadows and then 'Thump', I'm back in the real world. The only problem is that when I enter either realm, I come out the same way I came in, like if I run into a shadow that's on a wall, I'll appear to run out of the shadow in the Shadow Plane. It's also pretty cold and humid, which explains the frost in my fur.

When I land flat on my back, I'm snapped out of my thoughts.

"Ow."

After my small outburst of pain, I feel the unknown person let go of my foot. When I thought it was over, I got picked up by the collar of my cowl. I then came face-to-face with someone I really didn't want to see.

Renamon.

Since I'm now standing at full height with her, I now see that I wasn't half a foot shorter, but a full foot shorter.

She then lifted me off the ground so that I couldn't phase into the Shadow Plane again. She looked straight into my hazel eyes, her blue ones boring straight into my soul.

"Who are you?"

I blink in surprise at the question she just whispered at me.

"I am AssassinRenamon."

Her cool gaze turns into a glare and she then threw me like a football across the roof. My body hit a small, steel pole that was sticking out of the roof. Since my body was on it's side while I was flying through the air, my spine hits the pole and the inertia makes my body bend too far back. I grunt in pain as I hear my back crack.

When I land on my side, I groan in pain as I feel my cracked back shift. I look up and see Renamon standing a few feet away from me. I struggle to get up, but whenever I tried to move, a jolt of pain would travel across my spine.

After a few tries, I manage to get to my feet while holding onto the steel pipe for support. Renamon continued to watch me with impassive eyes and a hard-to-read demeanor. I try to think of a move I could use to heal myself and, luckily, found one.

After I whisper 'Tocco di Eva', which I knew was Italian for 'Eve's Touch', I could feel a surge of energy travel across my body and focus on my injured back.

When I heard the sound of running feet, I look up and, before my back fully healed and before I had time to react, I was tackled by Renamon.

Apparently she didn't think the attack through, because we both wound up rolling off of the roof and down towards the alleyway in-between the buildings.

Renamon untangled herself from me and faded away as she teleported. I wasn't as fortunate.

I slammed into a fire escape and broke my left shoulder, then bounced off of it and slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the thin alleyway, breaking my left forearm this time. Luckily, I managed to slow myself down by purposely hitting a windowsill and then landing ungracefully on the ground.

I screamed in pain and was about to pass out when 2 strong hands lifted me up by the collar of my cowl and pinned me against a wall. I opened my eyes and stared into Renamon's cold ones.

Even though my left shoulder and forearm were broken, a small trace of energy from my 'Tocco di Eva' managed to make my left side numb like someone had injected me with morphine.

I noticed that she had my right arm pinned by her left hand and her right was holding me up by the collar. I was also off of my feet to keep me from phasing away. My breath hitched in my throat when I noticed how close she was to me. I could feel her warm breath on my face, making me shudder slightly.

Lightning arced across the sky and a heavy rainfall began, drenching the both of us, although my hood kept my head dry.

Even though Renamon was now completely wet and her fur was matted down, she didn't seem to mind, or notice for that matter. I decided that for the sake of my pride, and my 'pride', I would **not **look down, for fear that she would give me a slow and painful death.

(Renamon's POV)

I looked at the rogue Digimon. I was actually quite confused, yet intrigued by him. I have never heard of an 'AssassinRenamon' before. I continued to watch him and to see what he would do.

I attempted to ignore the rain, despite feeling my fur being matted down by the wet torrent. I started to notice that he was actually forcing himself to have eye contact with, despite the fact that he seemed to be uncomfortable with my unwavering gaze and by how close I was to him. Even though I always try to keep a serious mindset, I couldn't help but smirk at this. I gently reached over and pulled his hood down, which finally allowed me to see his face. He was definitely a Renamon, but he seemed somewhat young to me.

My contact with him must have a little too close because he actually started blushing so much that I could see it through his fur. I don't know why, but I wanted to see how far I could push him before he finally took action, seeing as I finally deduced that he wasn't any threat to me.

I gingerly reached up and began to scratch him behind his left ear. He could definitely feel it, because he started to cringe away and I think he was trying hard not to murr like a little fox.

Thinking I could tease him a little more, I started to move forward until my body was nearly touching him. His eyes widened and he was starting to pant slightly. It didn't help that he was about a foot shorter than me.

The last straw must have been when I leaned forward and pressed against him with my face almost touching his. Immediately when that happened, his nose actually started to bleed and he then fainted, falling limp in my grasp.

I couldn't help but giggle as I held his unconscious body against me for support. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't mess with him a little more, but it was worth it to see such a dangerous looking Digimon faint just because he came in physical contact with a female.

After I gently picked him up bridal-style, I jumped onto the building where I believe his 'home' was, since I once saw him carrying blankets into it.

I made it to the water tank and gently worked my way into it and set the AssassinRenamon on the blankets, removed the belt, cowl, and weapons off him, then covered him up with the rest of the blankets, since he was shivering in his sleep.

Flashing a small grin at him, I quietly slipped out of the tower and began my quick journey to Rika's home, my mind filled with the thoughts of this shy and prudish Digimon.

**Author's Note: Took me awhile to finish this, since school has been leaving me with little time to write.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I think my story is doing alright so far.**

(Hatch's POV)

I awoke with a loud groan to a loud and obnoxious beeping noise emitting from beside me. I looked at my D-Arc.

"Whaaaat?"

"You need to wake up."

"Whyyy?"

"You've been asleep for about 2 days now."

I immediately sat up, despite the stiffness from my left side.

"How have I been asleep for that long?"

"Your body sustained a lot of damage from your fight with Renamon. Your 'Tocco di Eva' put you in a type of hibernation so that the energy could fix your broken bones more efficiently."

That's when I finally noticed that my left side and back, despite being a little stiff, actually didn't hurt when I moved.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by my stomach growling. It actually hurt quite a bit.

"Oh man, that's right. I didn't eat in the past few days."

"I could direct you to the Matsuki Bakery."

I was about to ask why, but then I remembered that the bakery was owned by the family of Takato.

Although going there would probably be like playing Russian Roulette, my stomach was making the decisions for me.

"I guess that would the best place to go."

After standing up and stretching out and grabbing my cowl and weapons, along with the pouch of money I found on my belt about 2 days before, I finally made my way out of my 'home' and jumped down to the sidewalks below.

I gotta say, the walk to the bakery was probably not a smart thing to do when your a Digimon. I got all kinds of strange looks and weird stares. I even had a group of kids start following me. They kept saying something about being my 'Tamer' or being my 'Partner'. All it took was phasing into a shadow being cast from a building to get them to leave.

After about 10 more minutes of walking, I finally arrived at the bakery. I decided to take my time and sniff the air and scan the area. I didn't smell any Digimon and I couldn't see any sign of Guilmon or Takato.

I silently opened the front door and quietly walked over to the register, where I believe Takato's mother was the one running it.

She looked up from the magazine she was reading and froze when she saw me.

"Oh my God! It's that Digimon that Takato was talking about!"

I immediately put my hands up in defense.

"Wait, wait! I'm just here to get some food. I haven't eaten in 3 days."

Her scared expression seemed to soften, as did her tone, when she heard the pleading in my voice.

"O-Okay. I guess I could give you some bread. As long as you promise not t-to attack the shop."

I give a reassuring smile.

"I wouldn't dream of it. I'm just hungry, that's all."

She actually smiled back and gathered up some bread in a bag and gave it to me.

"Free of charge."

"Thank you."

I quickly ran to the door and exited, giving a small wave as I left.

Making my way to what I believed was Shinjuku Park and running past a concrete structure that seemed familiar to me, I stopped at a small lake and sat against a tree, in the shade of course, and I started to chow down on the fresh bread.

(Tamers, 3rd Person)

The original 3 Tamers, Takato Matsuki, Henry Wong, and Rika Nonaka, and their respective Digimon, Guilmon, Terriermon, and Renamon, sat in the concrete shelter that Hatch had ran by. Guilmon had his nose in the air and was sniffing with his pupils narrowed into slits.

Takato looked at his bread loving Digimon.

"Something wrong Guilmon?"

"I smell a Digimon."

All 3 Tamers immediately stood up and walked out of the shelter.

"Are you sure?"

"Come on gogglehead, there is no time to doubt Dino-boy. Lets go."

Everyone nodded in agreement and started to follow Guilmon all the way to the lake that Hatch Striker was currently at.

Before Guilmon and Terriermon had time to engage with the AssassinRenamon, their partners grabbed them and the entire group hid in the large bushes that was situated in front of another tree, giving them a clear and close-up view of the Digimon, who apparently decided to take a dip in the lake without his weapons and cowl, an empty bread bag laying next to the equipment.

"What are we doing?"

Henry looked at Terriermon and whispered.

"We are going to observe this Digimon and try to gather data on it."

"But that's boring!"

"Terriermon, shut up!"

Henry whispered harshly at his loud Digimon.

(Hatch's POV)

I looked back at a large bush that was near a tree. Using 'Blade Conjure' and embracing my new killing instincts, I threw a throwing knife at the bush with all my strength.

The tree shook a little, but nothing else happened. I just simply shrugged my shoulders and went back to bathing in the lake, seeing as my little battle with Renamon left me covered in dirt and grime.

(Tamer's POV)

Terriermon laid flat against the tree, his eyes wide with fear and sweat dripping from his face as he looked down. Right below him, the knife thrown by the AssassinRenamon was lodged firmly into the tree between his spread legs. If that knife was aimed just a little higher, or if he hadn't reacted fast enough, he would have been less of a man than he currently was.

He let out a quiet and shaky sigh of relief and fell onto his side. Everyone looking at him just sweatdropped and went back to watching the Digimon in the lake.

Renamon, who was sitting in the tree, watched as the Digimon in the lake continued to clean himself. She could practically see every detail of his well toned body. She found herself scooting forward slightly across the branch so that she could get a better view.

(Renamon's POV)

I don't know why, but I just couldn't keep myself from studying every part of his body. I blushed as he began rubbing his paws through the fur on his chest and through his black mane.

I blushed even harder when a small picture of me rubbing my paws through his soft fur appeared in my head.

(Hatch's POV)

I continued to clean myself until all of the dirt was gone. When I finally got out of the water, I started to smell something. It was a mixture of bread and a few other scents that I couldn't make out.

Deciding that I was no longer in a safe area, I quickly got out of the lake, shook myself of the excess water, grabbed my cowl and weapons, then quickly ran towards the trees.

(Renamon's POV)

I let out a sigh of relief and slight disappointment as I watched the Digimon run into the trees and disappear in a shadow.

(Tamer's POV)

The rest of the Tamer's watched in disappointment as the Digimon phased away. Rika looked at Henry, who was holding his D-Arc and seemed to be in deep thought.

"Did you get anything on this odd Digimon? Because I've never seen that kind of Digimon before."

Henry just shook his head and stood up as he picked the still stunned Terriermon off of the ground.

"No. There doesn't seem to be anything on this guy."

He then looked at the small camera that he had with him. He also quickly pulled out the throwing knife that was still lodged in the tree.

"At least I got some pictures of the strange Digimon, along with this weapon. Now we can talk to Yamaki about the Digimon and see if he can dig up some information."

Everyone but Renamon nodded in agreement.

"I've been wondering. Why are we trying so hard to delete this Digimon?"

Everyone looked at Renamon as if she was crazy.

Rika decided to speak up.

"Because, Renamon, if we don't, he might try to destroy the city. I can understand why you would think we shouldn't try to delete this Digimon, but he probably isn't as nice or as innocent as he seems. We just have to make sure that he doesn't hurt anyone."

(Renamon's POV)

Although I didn't quite agree with what Rika was saying, I nodded anyways. When they started to head back to the concrete hideout, I gave a glance back to where the AssassinRenamon disappeared. He may be dangerous, but that was true innocence that I saw in his eyes that night.

I quickly turned back to the retreating group and started my journey back to Guilmon's hideout.

_**To be continued...**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: Sorry that I haven't updated this story in a while, but now that I am finally getting some free-time, I can start updating my stories again. Thank you for your patience.**

_**Disclaimer****: **_I don't own Digimon, any Assassin's Creed elements, or anything that is copyrighted.

(Hatch's POV)

There must be some kind of crazy symbolism for where I'm at right now and what I'm doing.

I'm crouched down, my hood is pulled up and hiding my face, my cape is very gently fluttering in the breeze, and I'm scanning the area with my keen eyesight, like a hunter looking for it's prey. What makes this so unique, though, is where I'm at.

I'm crouched on top of what is probably one of the larger radio antennas in the Shinjuku District that is located on top of one of the smaller buildings. I'm guessing that I'm probably around 300 feet high, though I'm pretty bad at math.

I pause when my eyes fall upon the sight of the building that I've been watching for almost 10 minutes now.

About 2 blocks away, is the legendary Hypnos Building. The large towers located on the site makes every house in the district look like a house of cards when they are compared to the skyscraper.

I know that in reality, the building that Hypnos is covertly residing in is actually the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, if my knowledge is correct. The only thing that is throwing me off slightly is the fact that the building is actually taller, wider, and much more high-tech looking.

My ears twitch a few times. It seems that someone is shouting from the general store that is located next to the building I am currently residing on.

I look down and try my hardest to focus at what's below me. But then, something strange happens.

Everything in my line of sight fades into black. All I can see now is a bunch of swirling shapes made of some kind of like blue fire. I scan through my head to find out if I was using some kind of strange ability. It turns out I was. I was using an ability called 'Eagle Vision'.

I'm a little shocked at first, but then I start to focus on where the yelling was coming from. It was like someone had handed me a pair of high-powered binoculars. I could see the 'aura' of about 4 people.

One's aura was a sort of copper color while the others had a blood red colored aura.

Deciding to investigate, I dived off of the tower. (**AN: Can you guess how he jumped and what he looked like when he was falling?**)

When I was halfway to the bottom, I began to prepare myself to use my shadow phasing ability, since I recently found out that I can phase away even when I'm falling. What's cool about it, though, is that when I enter the Shadow Plane when I am falling, I'll actually shoot out of the shadow at the same speed that I entered.

Quickly vanishing in the shadow on the sidewalk, I soon find myself flying upwards towards the same building I had jumped off of, except that this time, the structure's color was heavily faded.

I slowed myself down until I was just floating in mid-air, then I gently descended onto the black covered concrete and quickly went back into the Normal Plane.

This technique is especially helpful on a dark, cloudy day, because I can travel long distances and not use a lot of energy. All I got to do is continuously phase into the different Planes while still keeping my momentum going.

I quickly stepped out of the shadow and sprinted towards the shouting. I saw 3 tall guys that were over 6 feet tall that seem to be bothering what I believed was the store's owner.

The store owner looked to be around his 60's, he had on a pair of khaki pants with an old gray shirt with a dark green vest over it, and he had a graying goatee that matched his appearance.

The men bothering him were muscular and were wearing all black, including black sweatshirts with the hoods pulled up, probably to hide their features.

When I was about a few yards away, they all stopped bothering the old man and they started to eye me. They all then gave me smug grins.

"Well, well , well. If it isn't one of those weird Digimon creatures that are always on TV. What do you think your doing here?"

I growled.

"I'm here to make you stop bothering that poor old man."

The group of thugs laughed at me mockingly.

"What can a puny creature like you do to stop us?"

One of the other thugs spoke up.

"Hey, I got an idea! Let's capture that Digimon and sell it to some collectors for the highest bid! We'll make tons of cash!"

The supposed leader gave me an evil smile.

"I think that's a _wonderful_ idea! Lets get him!"

They all immediately started charging at me.

I simply smirked and then phased into the shadow on the wall of the building next to me. They stopped in their tracks as they tried to spot me.

"Where the hell did he go?"

I got an idea. A clever one.

I reached out of the shadow that was under the leader's feet and grabbed him, pulling him into the shadow.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

I then let go while he was only knee deep in the concrete sidewalk. I smirked in victory while I watched him struggle to free his legs from the concrete prison.

I ran and jumped through another shadow, flying out the wall of the building and tackling one of the other thugs. Even though I had a small stature, I packed a lot of punch.

He hit his head on the curb and knocked him out cold, splitting his head open slightly. I spun around and ducked down when I saw a fist about to make contact with my face.

I reached up and grabbed the arm of the other thug, then I threw my elbow down on it. I savored the feeling of his arm breaking, the bone now sticking out of his wrist. I then threw my fist back and practically back-handed him in the face with my clenched fist, breaking his jaw and knocking him unconscious.

I then turned and faced the leader of the group as he struggled even more to get out. I slowly walked towards him in a menacing way. His eyes widened and he started to shake in shear terror.

"P-Please! D-Don't hurt me!"

I stopped when I was in front of him. I then gave an angry growl.

"You picked on an old man, you threatened me, and you attacked me without warning! What in the Nine Hells gave you the idea that I would go easy on you?"

I then kicked him really hard in the chest, causing him to cough as blood began to come out of his mouth.

"I don't ever want to see you, or your buddies in this part of Tokyo again! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

He started to shake even more, but didn't even speak.

"WELL?"

He quickly nodded in agreement. I then smelled something in the air. I looked at him, then I walked past him.

"I can't believe you just pissed yourself."

I spoke in a calm tone as I made my way to the old shop owner.

He looked at me with wide eyes, fear emanating from them.

"Don't be afraid. I only came to help."

That seemed to calm him down.

"T-Thank you. You have no idea how much this store means to me and my family."

I just smiled.

"It's no problem at all."

"Please, please, let me repay you for your help."

"You don't have to do that."

"No, it's the least I could do for you saving my family's legacy."

I just sighed and gave up.

"Okay."

The shop owner beamed. He then told me to wait outside while he went to get something. I simply waited for about 10 minutes until he finally came back.

He was carrying a long object that was covered in cloth and 2 small bags. He set the bags on the ground, causing one of the bags to make a jingling sound, and then started to carefully unwrap the long object. What the object was, surprised me.

In his hands, was a large, double-barrel rifle that was really long. It had a black, almost ash-like, stock with a black barrel. It must have been pretty old, because there were hammers on the back of the barrel and 2 triggers, which meant that this gun must of dated back to the 1800's. What surprised me even more, was that there was a gold carving of a kitsune sleeping in tall grass. There was also a gold and silver picture on the flat side of the break-action that showed a kitsune standing tall and proud.

".700 Caliber Nitro Express. Can silence a rampaging elephant in a single shot. It was given to my grandfather by a blacksmith that he was best friends with."

I gazed at the ornamental rifle, a strong sense of awe overcoming my emotions. I reached out towards until I was almost touching it, but then I shook my head and pulled my paw back.

"No. I can't take something _that _beautiful and well-decorated from you."

The shop owner smiled warmly.

"So modest, but I insist that you take it, and these bags of money and ammunition too."

He then motioned towards the bags sitting on the ground.

I again shook my head.

"I can't take this much from you. I don't think I could live with myself."

He surprised me when he wrapped the cloth around the rifle again and then reached forward and slowly pulled my hood down, exposing my head and face to him. He didn't even flinch. He just smiled even more.

"So young, yet so humble. Please, take these gifts as a token of appreciation, I insist."

I looked down at the ground and started to think this over. Coming to a conclusion, I place my hands out, palms up. The old man nodded and gently place the wrapped firearm in my hands, along with the bag of bullets. I placed the double-barreled rifle against the wall and tied the bag of ammo on my belt. I then placed my hand up, palm forward as he reached for the bag of money.

"I'll only take the firearm and ammunition, nothing else. I don't accept money when I know that the other person needs it more."

The shop owner flashed another smile and nodded. He then stuck his hand out and I shook it.

"I'm Daichi Kazue, by the way."

"You can call me Hatch. Hatch Striker."

"It's nice to meet you."

I smiled at him, but then frowned when I heard sirens. I looked down the street. There were police cars coming down the road.

"Looks like it's time for you to part, young one."

I looked back at him, then grabbed the firearm.

"Yes it is. It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope our paths cross again."

"Me too. Oh, by the way, If you feel like visiting me again, I'll give you a 75% discount on everything."

"Thanks."

I then walked towards the wall and phased into it, the ornamental gift being held tightly in my grasp, the bag of ammunition dangling from my belt.

I reappeared back on top of the building next to the general store. I gently unwrapped the double rifle, placed the cloth in a small bag I had with me, and then I took some thin rope out of one of the small pouch and made a sling for the weapon. I then put the gun on my back, barrel pointed at the ground with only a half foot gap between the barrel and the concrete.

I made sure that it wasn't gonna slide off, then I started my quick climb up the antennae.

Once I made it to the top, I assumed the sitting position and then went back to watching the Hypnos Building. I activated my Eagle Vision and then looked back at the general store, watching the police struggle to get the thug leader out of the concrete.

I gave a small chuckle.

Victory never felt so good.

**Author's Note: Took awhile to type this up. Anyways, I want to bring up an important announcement. I was talking to a few authors, who wanted to remain anonymous, about my idea to introduce a non-Digimon canine companion. They liked the idea, but they then gave **_**me**_** one. They thought I could do a small lemon scene between Hatch and the canine companion. It's not gonna be a romantic-like scene, but more of a ****'yes I can understand you and you can understand me and I know that this must be your mating season for your kitsune-like species and I want to give you the release that you need before you wind up either raping or killing someone'**** kind of scene. Personally, I kinda liked the idea they pitched at me. **

**I set up a Poll for you to cast your answer in. I accept votes, reviews, and PM's**

**I would like your responses to this idea, whether they are negative or positive, and once I collect enough responses, I will choose whether to do or **_**not **_**do the idea.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but I've really busy discussing a few things with a friend of mine at school. I'm also waiting for some more positive or negative responses to the idea I pitched in my last announcement. I still accept reviews, votes, and PM's.**

_**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Digimon, any of the Assassin's Creed elements, or anything that is copyrighted.

(Tamer's POV)

The 3 original Tamers, Takato, Rika, and Henry, along with their Digimon, walked casually into the office of Mitsuo Yamaki, the one who is currently running Hypnos. He was staring out of his office window while flicking open and closing his silver lighter, concern etched on his face.

"What is it?"

He turned around to face the Tamers.

"Is there something you need?"

Henry stepped forward, a camera in one hand and Hatch's throwing knife in the other.

"Yes there is, Yamaki. I need your help in figuring out what kind of Digimon we've been dealing with."

Henry then placed the camera and knife on Yamaki's desk.

"We managed to obtain some pictures of the Digimon and we also obtained a knife that it was using."

Terriermon gulped and started to sweat a little as he recalled the incident.

Yamaki raised an eyebrow at Henry's request.

"Are you telling me that there's another Digimon out there?"

Henry looked questioningly at Yamaki.

"You mean Hypnos didn't detect the Digimon's arrival?"

Yamaki nodded.

"It seems that it managed to somehow slip past our sensors. Come on, lets take a look at what you got on it."

Yamaki then picked up the camera and the knife and headed out the door to the lab with the Tamers in tow.

After about an hour of looking at the pictures of the AssassinRenamon and scanning the throwing knife, Yamaki and the scientists managed to come to a conclusion.

"We can't find a single thing on this Digimon, it's as if it came out of thin air!"

One of the scientists said as he slumped back into his seat. Yamaki came up behind him and looked at the screen. All possible explanations for the Digimon were proven to be impossible. The scientist sat back up.

"All we've managed to find was a strange code that was imprinted in the knife's structure, which is really strange, since the knife was actually partially made of data."

Takato walked up to the computer on the opposite side of Yamaki.

"Wait, you're saying that the knife was part data."

"Yes, even though it's structure is made of actual material, there seems to be some sort of data coating on the outside, and this data possesses some sort of code."

Yamaki leaned over and stared at the screen that was filled with numbers.

"I want you to save this code for now. We'll figure out what it means later."

He then turned and faced the Tamers.

"We may have to do some more research to find an answer, but for now, I'm gonna send out some people to keep an eye out for the Digimon. I would appreciate it if you guys helped too."

The Tamers and their Digimon nodded.

(Hatch's POV)

Huh, must be something crazy going on in the Hypnos building, since I just saw a large group of vehicles leave the building's lot. I simply shrugged and hopped down from the building I was on.

I then entered the general store that Daichi, the shop owner I saved, owned. He was at the register reading a book. When the bell that signals that a person has entered the store rang, he looked up and beamed when he saw me.

"Hatch, nice to so you come by to visit."

"It's all good."

I simply replied while waving my hand. I then looked at him again.

"I would like some supplies, if you don't mind."

"Of course I wouldn't mind. What do you need?"

"I'm gonna need some food, water, and whatever _you_ think I might need."

Daichi Kazue grinned and led me to get my supplies. Surprisingly, he actually had some MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) and a big case of water that I could use. He also gave me a portable radio and some CD's of my choosing to play on the radio for some entertainment.

I was quite surprised to see that I could afford this stuff and still have plenty of money left over, though the 75% discount helps.

I loaded the food, water, and CD's into a backpack I found and carried the radio in my arms.

"Thank you, Daichi. I really appreciate you helping me."

"It's a pleasure to help you, my friend. Now stay out of trouble."

"I will."

I then shadow phased away and quickly arrived at my home, ready to finally eat some real food. Even though the MRE's are freeze-dried, they're still food in my opinion.

**Author's Notes: Has anyone ever eaten an MRE before? I have, and I don't care what some people think of them, I think they're pretty good, especially the beef ravioli with some Tabasco sauce put on it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but school has been keeping me busy. I've also been discussing a few ideas with a friend of mine from school. Let's just say, things are going to get really crazy.**

Again, there has to be some kind of symbolism for what I'm doing and where I'm at.

I sat on the roof of my home and gazed off at the city, my portable radio playing_ Requiem Mass in D minor_ by Mozart, and a pack of crackers with apple jam from the MRE I just ate laying next to me.

I chewed one of the crackers slowly as I put apple jam on the next cracker. After I swallowed, I raised the next cracker that I was gonna eat to my mouth, but then I stopped as a realization crossed my mind.

Am I eating cause I'm bored?

I set the cracker back onto the sealing wrap it came in and then pondered this thought, Mozart still playing on the radio. I need to find something to do before I find myself picking out shapes in the wood grain.

I then perked my ears as I started to hear shouting. I then looked towards the Hypnos Building.

It seems that a _very _large crowd had gathered on the streets and sidewalks in front of the building.

I quickly packed my radio away in my home and ate the last cracker before I finally started running towards the crowd.

I stopped on top of a small office building so that I could get a good view and so that I was out of sight.

There was also a group of riot police with their large shields and batons at the ready. I guess they were there in case a riot broke out, which might happen in a few minutes.

The crowd was carrying things like blunt objects and picket signs that were saying anti-Digimon phrases.

"Must be protesters."

I sat down and watched this sitcom unfold for about 10 minutes.

Once 10 minutes had passed, the protesters started to violent. A few of them started throwing rocks at the riot police, who responded back with tear gas.

One of the officers got hit square in the head and smashed his helmet. He then collapsed onto the ground with the rioters heading for him.

Acting on instinct, I jumped off of the 3 story and ran towards the unconscious policeman and stepped in front of him, putting myself in between him and the rioters.

The people stopped and then started shouting insults, threats, etc.

"Get out of here you freak!"

"You monsters don't belong here!"

"You're the reason our town was nearly destroyed by those Digimon and the D-Reaper!"

I only rolled my eyes, gave an irritated sigh, and then turned around to heal the officer with my Tocco di Eva. I watched as energy formed and then traveled down my arms to his body, healing him.

I was interrupted as a glass bottle struck me in the back of the head and shattered. Luckily, this was a flimsy soda bottle, so it didn't really hurt. Don't these damn idiots know I'm trying to save his life?

"It's trying to hurt that officer, kill it!"

Apparently not.

Once the energy dispelled, signaling that he was fully healed, I turned around and faced the crowd.

"I only healed him, since you people are the reason he got hurt!"

I was answered with a large rock striking me above left my eye, dazing me and giving me a terrible gash. The blood flowed out of the cut and into my eye, making it really hard to see out of it.

The crowd followed the example of the two idiots and started to throw things at me. One of the projectiles was a large bottle of whiskey. I could tell, because when it shattered against my chest, I got completely drenched in alcohol.

If that wasn't bad enough, one of them started throwing lit torches at me, and I didn't need to be a scientist to know that if the flames touched me, I would go up like a bonfire at a spring break party.

I was surprised when a small squad of riot policemen quickly surrounded me and the unconscious officer with their shields facing the crowd. One of the policemen, who looked to be in about his 30's, turned his head and looked at me.

"A Digimon that saves an officer deserves a chance in my book. Take him to the armored car behind us and get to safety."

All of a sudden, tear gas canisters were landing right next to us. It seems that the crowd managed to get their hands on some.

I coughed and choked as the gas filled my lungs. My eyes stung and watered as even more of the gas landed near us.

Even though my eyes felt like they were on fire and that I was about to pass out since I could barely breathe, I grabbed the officer and ran as fast as I could towards the armored car.

I ran despite my chest hurting and the smell of tear gas and strong whiskey in my nose. I managed to make it to the vehicle where some policemen were before I dropped to my knees and promptly passed out from exhaustion.

I awoke spluttering as water made it's way into my nose and mouth. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around.

I was inside the armored car, which must have been being driven since I could here an engine running, with a small group of officers looking down at me, one of them carrying an empty water bottle. I was lying on the floor with a blanket draped over me.

"Where am I?"

One of the officers stood up.

"You're in an armored riot control vehicle that's heading towards the hospital, since there wasn't any way for an ambulance to get to our location. You inhaled so much of that lachrymatory agent that we were afraid that you may have gone blind."

I stared at him for a moment, not knowing what lachrymatory agent was, until I noticed that there was a rag and some anti-acid medication laying next to me. Putting 2 and 2 together, I figured out what he meant.

"You mean I inhaled too much tear gas?"

The officer sighed.

"To put it simply, yeah."

I smiled appreciatively at the officers around me.

"Thank you all for helping me. Judging by the size of that crowd, I figured that no one would even let me live, let alone save me."

The officer kneeled down next to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I was there during the D-Reaper incident. I saw those Digimon Tamers fight and destroy the threat to our lives. I know that the Tamers weren't the cause of all of the destruction that happened to our city and I know that some Digimon aren't as dangerous as people say."

I smiled even more and then I sat up, the blanket falling to my lap. The officer then pushed me down onto my back again.

"No, I don't want you moving. The protesters broke through the wall and almost over-ran us. One of them managed to get to you and began hitting you savagely with a crowbar he was carrying. We managed to get him off of you with rubber bullets before he tried to finish you off."

I looked at him for a minute and smirked. I felt energy build-up inside me and start to heal my injuries. The officer then backed away from me a a little ways.

"What the...? Why are you glowing a gold color?"

"It's my Tocco di Eva. It allows me to heal myself."

After the glowing faded I sat up again.

"I need you to drop me off. I don't think it's safe for me to be around you."

The officer placed his hand on me again.

"Listen, I don't think it's safe in this _city_ for you anymore. Ever since the D-Reaper incident, the army has been really edgy around the Digimon subject. After a rogue Digimon destroyed a couple of buildings and almost killed 20 people a week ago, the government decided that if they hear about anymore violence involving Digimon, they would send in the army. This riot was the last straw."

I sat there and absorbed all this.

"So the shit has really hit the fan, huh?"

The officer simply raised an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah, and where did you learn such a human phrase?"

"I heard people say it a couple times."

I then quickly stood up before he could push me back down and made my way to the back of the vehicle. I then opened the rear door, now able to see the road going by at a rapid pace.

"We could just stop so that you can get out."

I looked back at the officer, then at the sky, then back at him again.

"Yeah, but this way is so much more dramatic."

"By the way, what's your name?"

I smiled and gave a small salute.

"I am AssassinRenamon."

The officer gave a salute back.

"And I am Officer Hayato Kazue."

I then smirked and jumped out of the speeding vehicle and quickly phased into the road, since the cloud cover gave me a big enough shadow to meld into.

After making my way home, I sat back on the roof of the water tower with my radio playing a Metallica CD.

I thought over what the officer had said. It seemed that things were gonna get really interesting if his prediction with the military was true.

I then smirked. Nothing I can't handle.

Another thought then passed through my head.

Huh, Kazue. Now why does that sound familiar?

**Author's Note: I'm glad that I was able to finally get this chapter done. It looks like things are finally picking up for Hatch Striker.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: It's good to see that I am getting such good positive feedback for my story. Time to see if I can keep it up. I also have a **_**very**_** important announcement. I have decided that, with all of the answers to my question, I am going to do the lemon scene with Hatch Striker the AssassinRenamon and the canine-companion. I will warn you when it's at that scene, but it's ****not**** in this chapter.**

I can't believe it! I'm starting to get bored again!

I slammed my fist down on the wooden roof of my water tower home. In case you haven't guessed already, I don't like being bored.

What isn't helping me out all is that I keep getting a strange sensation in the pit of my stomach every couple of minutes. I swear, I think it might be getting worse.

A loud beeping caught my attention.

I looked at the D-Arc that was strapped to my wrist.

"What's going on?"

"It seems that a rogue Digimon is starting to bio-merge at Shinjuku Park. I recommend that you take care of it at once."

I was about to say yes, but then a though appeared my head that my ears droop and press against my skull. I swear, I'm never gonna get used to having fox ears and a tail.

"What about the Tamers? Won't they be there?"

"My long range scanners show that the Digimon Tamers don't appear to be in the Shinjuku District. I believe that they must be on some sort of trip. The only Digimon I detect is Renamon, but she is still a long ways off. You might be able to defeat the rogue and disappear before she arrives."

I absorbed the words it said and then simply nodded.

"OK."

I quickly crouch down and pull my hood up, then I push down with my legs with all my strength and launch myself off of the water tower and across a roof top to the one next to it.

Once I start getting close to Shinjuku Park, I quickly meld myself into a shadow next to me and start to creep up to where my D-Arc said the rogue might be.

Luckily, I discovered that there was actually 2 layers in the shadow phasing technique. It turns out that there is actually a thin barrier between the Normal Plane and the Shadow Plane. It's like this: I can phase into the _actual_ shadow itself and just surf across it instead of going _into_ the Shadow Plane. Since my body has this ability, I can just simply spy on people from the thin space between the Normal Plane barrier and the Shadow Plane barrier. Though, I can only travel across a shadow as long as there _is_ a shadow to travel across. I don't like doing this ability too much, though, since it feels like I'm being flattened by an invisible weight.

I slowly skimmed across the shadow as I followed my D-Arc's arrow, looking and listening for any signs of Digimon activity.

My sensitive ears picked up a faint yelp of pain. I quickly jumped out of the shadow and drew the Bowie Hunter that was on my belt and held it with my right paw with the blade facing towards the right. I ran as fast as I could and started darting across the trees until my eyes caught sight of the rogue.

I stopped on top of a branch as I observed what the rogue was. It was really tall, had green skin with lot's of weird spikes sticking out of him with a skull and crossbones tattoo on his arm, was wearing some leather clothing on his legs and his right arm along with a leather loincloth. He had crooked sharp teeth and he was carrying a freakin' huge club that looked like it was made of bone. The club also had sharp studs sticking out of it.

I let out a small growl, my feral hunting and killing instincts starting to take over. Wow, this must be what Renamon feels every time she fights someone. Now I know why she loves to fight Digimon.

I pushed my instincts down a notch as I scanned the rogue with my D-Arc.

Name: Ogremon

Level: Champion

Type: Virus

Moves: Pummel Whack, Bone Cudgel, and Strong Maul.

Battle Percentage: Ogremon – 60%, AssassinRenamon – 40%

I looked at the D-Arc with confusion.

"Battle Percentage? I've never heard of that before."

"Battle Percentage is what percent chance each Digimon has of winning the battle. Since Ogremon is a Champion level, he has a better chance. Don't be upset, though, because the odds of a usual Renamon against this unusually powerful Ogremon would normally be around 25%."

I simply nodded.

I then look back down back at the Ogremon. I suddenly heard a loud growling sound. I quickly phased away and made my way to the tree in front of him. I stepped out of the plane, but remained hidden underneath the shadow. My eyes went wide.

There was a black and dark blue Blue Heeler standing in a defensive pose in front of the Ogremon. She, as I managed to figure out, had her teeth bared and there was blood dripping from them. The Ogremon had a lot of bite marks on his arms, which is probably where the blood came from.

I was surprised that a mere dog was able to actually survive an Ogremon, considering that she was in pitiful shape. She was keeping her weight off of her rear left paw, she had dried blood on her body, and it looked like she was about to collapse at any minute.

The Ogremon raised his club.

"Bone Cudgel!"

"NO!"

I immediately jumped out of the shadow and out of the tree towards Ogremon, his club frozen in mid-air as he was trying to figure out where the voice came from.

I flew right at him and clotheslined him with my left arm, knocking him down as I landed in a somersault and then skidded to a stop on my feet. I spun around and ducked as his club nearly collided with my skull. I twirled my Bowie Hunter in my hand and thrusted upwards, burying the 6 inch long blade in his forearm.

"AAARRGGGHH!"

He roared in pain before he pulled his arm away and then kicked me in the stomach with his foot, the sharp nails cutting into my stomach and the force knocking me a few yards away into a tree, which actually split in half and collapsed.

Ignoring the pain and the blood coming out of my stomach, I realized that he wasn't charging at me. The Blue Heeler was currently sinking her teeth into his forearm, right next to where my knife was!

Acting quickly and taking advantage of the distraction, I unwound the kusarigama from my waist and gripped the sickle end in my left hand and I started to swing the end with the large weight around and around, becoming a blur to the untrained eye.

When the Ogremon's back was turned, I ran towards him at full sprint, the weight still spinning.

"YYYYYAAAHHHHH!"

I reeled the spinning weight back and threw it at his head. I grinned evilly as the weight connected with the back of his cranium, a sickening crunch echoing through the park. What looked like brain matter and skull fragments flew out of the back of his head .

Ogremon spun around as he fell like a bag of bricks, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he fell onto his back, a river of blood flowing out of his opened mouth.

I quickly pulled the still airborne weight out of the air and back into my control.

Exhausted from my over-exerting, I fell onto my back, a smile forming on my face as I saw the Ogremon start to fall apart into data, the small pieces of information floating into the air and disappearing. My knife lied on the ground, the blade and handle drenched in blood, no longer stuck in Ogremon's arm.

The Blue Heeler was sitting on her rear and looking at my collapsed and injured form, her ears drooping and a whine escaping from her throat as a small drop of blood dripped from her mouth.

The scene would have been relieving, if it wasn't so crazy, scary, and somewhat awe-inspiring.

Before everything went black, all I remember seeing was the dazzling gold colored energy of my Tocco di Eva fixing the bloody gash across my lower stomach and, what I remember the most clearly, was what I thought was a tear falling from the canine's dark brown eyes.

**Author's Note: Aw yeah, now I'm starting to get the story going. Also, I just can't seem to make a battle sound exciting. I mean, I can **_**describe **_**battles easily, but not make them exciting. What do you, the readers, think? If you got some tips, I'm open for suggestions.**** The whole scene will continue in the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Going good so far. Let's see if I can keep it up. I would also like to give special thanks to MyDigitalHazard for helping me out with the story and pitching some good ideas my way.**

I let out a loud groan of pain. It felt like someone was pressing a hot iron to my stomach. To top it all off, I can't seem to open my eyes because of a damn headache I have and there was a warm and wet sensation on my face.

After waiting for a few minutes, my headache went away and I was finally able to open my eyes and sit up. As soon as I did, I was knocked back down by two firm paws as I felt a hot and moist tongue start to lick lavishly all over my face. Even though I wouldn't admit it, it actually felt good on my sore head.

Through the slits of my eyes, I was able to see a familiar sight. The Blue Heeler, the one who had managed to hold her own against an Ogremon and was able to buy me time to destroy him, was licking at my face with great happiness radiating from her dark brown eyes.

Chuckling with amusement, I shooed her away so that I could sit up again. She obeyed and sat next to me. I wiped her slobber off my face, which is hard to do when the outside of your vambraces are mostly leather and metal, with a smile on my features.

After I made sure the excess drool was gone, I smiled brightly at the black and blue dog as I began petting her on her head and back.

"I'll probably never know how you managed to survive against Ogremon, but I am very grateful for you distracting him. Thank you."

For a second, I thought I saw a smug grin appear on her canine features, but her giving me a strong lick on my face made me forget about it.

All of a sudden, I began to feel really weird. That strange sensation that I had in my stomach earlier this morning was now much stronger, and it was starting to spread across my entire body, from my ears to the tip of my tail.

Shaking the feeling off, I quickly stood up and began to make my way home. A whining sound made me stop in my tracks and turn around.

The Blue Heeler was sitting there with sad puppy-dog eyes looking straight into mine, an expectant look in them.

I shook my head solemnly and let out a sad sigh.

"I'm sorry, but I can't take you with me. I don't think I could support you with the way I am living right now."

She let out another sad whine and then quickly walked over and began licking one of my black paws. I gently pushed her away, my heart feeling heavy.

"No. I can't take you. Please understand."

She answered by doubling her efforts in persuading me. She stood in front of me and then stood up so that her front paws were on my shoulders and she was standing on her hind legs with her face close to mine. I was actually quite surprised by how big she was and how much strength she must have in her legs. She then began to lick my face again.

Sighing, I grabbed her front paws and set her on the ground, a raincloud covering my soul.

"I'm sorry."

I then ran in the opposite direction, not wanting to see her sad brown eyes.

After running for awhile, dodging the thick trees and hopping over above-ground roots, I took a chance and looked behind me. What I saw was astounding.

The Blue Heeler was actually chasing after me! And actually keeping up quite easily. Seeing the sadness from her eyes was too much for me and my already blue soul.

I sprinted even faster and headed towards a shadow that was on a tall tree and just my size. I phased into it, crossing the Normal Plane barrier, going across the gap, and then passing through the Shadow Plane barrier.

Not even looking back, I just kept running, the bitter cold air of the Shadow Plane nipping at my body and the blurry, faded colors of the scenery filling my vision like a child's old kaleidoscope.

I made my way to the alleyway and phased back into the Normal Plane, then I climbed the fire escape to the roof that contained my old, wooden domain.

I slowly sat down and crossed my legs, facing away from the fire escape and kept my hood pulled down. I put my face into my paws and then ran them up and across my vulpine face, brushing my silver ears back with a sad sigh.

I couldn't believe that I abandoned her after she helped me and I helped her. The look on her face when I said I couldn't take care of her. It made my heart ache.

I was about to emit another loud, sad sigh when I felt something cold brush my ear. Quickly spinning my head around, I was quickly tackled to the ground by a blueish blur.

I couldn't fight back the strong, long, and warm licks that were being applied to my face, neck, and even my ears. I immediately opened my eyes when I no longer felt a tongue licking my face. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped.

Right there, on top of me, with happiness radiating from her eyes, was the Blue Heeler! I started to stutter as I pointed at her.

"H-How did y-you f-find me?"

She gave what was probably her equivalent of a smile as she then leaned down and began to heartily take long and numerous sniffs of my neck and face.

Getting the picture, and noticing that her body was a little cold, I responded.

"You followed my scent?"

She barked an answer. A 'yes'.

"You even followed me through the Shadow Plane?"

She licked my face vigorously. Another 'yes'.

I stared into her eyes, gazing deep into the sparkling orbs that were radiating happiness and hope. Letting out a sigh, which turned into a chuckle, I just laid there with her paws on my shoulders as I reached up and scratched her under her chin gently with a black claw tip.

"You sure are stubborn. You know that, right?

She nuzzled my neck affectionately.

"You really want to stay with me?"

She nuzzled me even harder.

I sighed happily and then sat up and pulled her into an embrace, happy to know that I'm no longer going to be alone.

**Authors Note: Now if that isn't cute, I don't know what is.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: UPDATE 8/2/13: Changed the wording to rid the story of the scene, though I kept the words that led it up this scene the same. I made it more...mundane...or something.**

For the love God, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS DAMN TINGLING!

For the last half hour, I have been sitting in the water tower, my 'home', covered with two quilts and curled up into a ball with the Blue Heeler laying fast asleep on the other side of the tower. The strange sensation that I first felt in my stomach in the morning, has spread out across my entire body, making my senses sharpen and make me hypersensitive to everything I touch. I closed my eyes, trying to block the feeling out.

It was finally nighttime when I woke up from my long and unexpected nap. The small analog clock I had said it was 11:23 PM. I let out a groan. I didn't know I was THAT tired.

Suddenly, another wave of the mysterious sensation hit me. It felt as though my insides were lit on fire.

Then, the tingling got even worse. It felt like I wanted to explode!

I groaned in pain and curled up into a tighter ball. It felt like my form got dipped in fire. I groaned in more pain as the feeling continued to amplify. What was causing this?! Why did I feel like I was losing control?!

My thoughts started to shift into uncomfortable territory as the need to fight began to flood my mind, as if some just shoved a USB into me.

I could no longer help it, I need answers.

Looking at the D-Arc on my wrist, I squinted as the screen lit up as it powered up. Once it was completely turned on I was able to ask it my numerous questions.

"You have a lot of information on me, right?"

"Affirmative."

"Then can you tell me what the hell is wrong with me?"

"Of course, but I'm not sure you'll be able to handle the answer."

"I don't give a flying damn, just tell me!"

"Alright, no need to shout."

I swear to God, that calm and serene voice gets on my nerves.

"Well, to put it simple, you're going through a faze known as 'adjustment overdrive'. In layman's terms, you are not venting as much power as most Digimon do, and therefore that energy is backing up inside you. Should not find a way to vent the energy, you will either go mad and attack anything that moves, or you will simply burn yourself out and lose the ability to use your powers."

I remained with an unfazed expression until it finally clicked and my jaw dropped and my eyes widened.

"WHAT!"

I heard a whine as the Blue Heeler, I had yet to name her, awoke from my yelling.

"Just calm down. You see, it's a common thing for Digimon like your kind, the AssassinRenamon."

"But I thought I was the only AssassinRenamon in existence!"

"You are."

Another wave hit me, focusing on my head even more. I groaned in complete agony and felt my arms start to catch fire from my Metal Inferno taking effect.

"Why am I feeling this now...?"

"Reason unknown."

I groaned in even more pain and fire. I quickly realized that my tail had been whipping back and forth the entire time I had my conversation. I shakily stood as I managed to disengage my fiery ability.

"How do I get rid of it?"

"Fortunately, that is an easy answer. All you need to do is perform a simple venting, where you release all the pent up energy at once. I recommend doing it in a safer environment."

I gawked at the device.

"But I don't know how to do that!"

I heard a sad whine and I turned my head. The Blue Heeler (I'm just gonna call her Blue for now.) had been rubbing her head against my leg.

I back away from Blue and shook my head.

"Go away Blue. I don't want you around me. I don't want to hurt you."

She whined and rubbed her head against my leg again, this time bumping her nose against it, like she was trying to push me somewhere. My arms re-lit and filled the entire place with a silver glow. I pressed my leg against her and pushed her away, shaking my head.

"Please, I want to help."

My eyes widened as I looked around. Where the hell did that voice come from?

"Over here."

I looked at Blue. The gears in my agony-ridden mind started to turn.

"YOU CAN TALK!"

Blue slowly started to walk towards me.

"Yes. I'll explain it all later, but right now, I need to help you."

I backed away from her.

"N-no. I-I'm fine. I just have to vent off in a safe location, so please go away before I lose it..."

Blue gave a scowl and suddenly bit my tail, giving it a strong yank as she lead me over to the entrance. I could only follow as I felt as though my spine was getting tugged on.

She let go and gave me a hard glare.

"I'm going to help you release your energy, whether you like it or not. I'm not going to stand by while I watch my new companion and friend suffer."

She bumped my leg and lunged up, making me wrap my arms around her. Seeing no way to fight this, I picked her up and held her as I went outside of the water tower, hopping off the platform and running, jumping across the gap between buildings and landing on the other side

I felt a burst of energy filter through my body, making my running faster and my jumps higher and farther.

My vision was starting to fill with both red and silver as the fire on my arms burned brighter. I was luckily able to keep Blue from being burned, but if I didn't find a good place to let out my energy, I'd probably end up churning her into a dog steak.

She bumped her nose against my chin as we arrived in an open field near a park, the grass carrying a light dusting of dew from the night air.

Serena immediately wormed her way out of my grasp and tapped a paw on the ground.

"Alright, I'm going to make this brief so that we can both get out of here. Ask me questions later."

I sighed and nodded as he stood, though I felt pain again as the energy built up.

"First, you need to 'force' the energy to the outer layer of your body. You should start to glow brightly if you do it correctly."

I nodded again as I racked my brain for information on how to work my body. Something seem to come naturally as I felt the pain start to lower, though I was starting to feel a strong increase in heat around me.

I noticed that I was glowing brightly, the fire on my arms having crossed across my entire body, encompassing it completely in flame.

"Good...now, I'm going to go hide behind a tree, but I want you to do is to just let that energy go. Just let it go..."

I felt lightheaded and stumbled a little as the energy lost control, a loud blast filling my ears as a large column of fire shot into the air and across the field. I was lucky to not have burnt anything, but the air was positively _charged_ with energy, a few stray bolts even arcing across the grass.

My legs gave out and I collapsed to my knees, struggling to stay awake from the sudden fatigue I felt.

I carefully lifted my arm and spoke into my D-Arc.

"W...What's my status..."

"Scanning...Your energy levels are depleted, but still building back up. According to my sensors, your energy is currently flowing in at a more relaxed pace. You should carry better control of your powers now."

I gave a delirious grin.

"That's good...that's good..."

At the sound of paws in the grass I looked up at a familiar canine face, smiling.

"Who...Who are you?"

She smiled at me with love that you could only find in a true friend.

"Shh, it's late, and you need your sleep. I'll explain everything in the morning."

She sounded calm, relaxed, like she really did care. I tried to stand but only collapsed on the ground. I gave a small look at Blue before looking over at a concrete structure that was a couple yards away. The metal grate was unlocked, so that meant I had a place for the night. I crawled, then stumbled over, opening the grate door and clsoing it behind both me and my companion.

I could feel her muzzle digging into my neck as I laid against the far wall, avoiding the large patch of dirt nearby. It made me feel a lot more relaxed and comfortable as she rolled into my lap and pressed her muzzle into my neck.

"Do you have a name?"

She stopped. I could feel the smile on her face.

"Serena."

I closed my eyes.

"'Serena'. That's a...nice...name."

I slumped over as the sweet bliss of sleep overcame my mind, plunging it into a beautiful dreamland, the feeling of fire in my chest no longer bothering me.

(3rd Person)

Unknown to Hatch and Serena, something in the AssassinRenamon's mind began to manifest, starting to cover the deepest parts of his subconscious, making itself grow.

Underneath his eyelids, his eyes flashed and changed into a gold color, before reverting back to their original hazel color.

His fur momentarily gained a few patches of scarlet before they disappeared.

And unknown to the two slumbering figures, a bipedal fox of yellow and white was standing on the roof of another building near the park, her eyes focused on the concrete structure. She had sensed the increase of wild power and had come to investigate, only to see the column of fire and heat. This Renamon carried a lot of power that not even he knew what he was capable of.

She turned and walked off, hoping to return home.

This would not be last she sees of him.

**Author's Note: Update 8/2/13: Rewrote it to make it better and take away the lemon scene. Let me tell ya, I feel a LOT better about myself after having gotten rid of it. Now, I left the earlier stuff intact since it still applies, but if anyone has suggestions, I'm open.  
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	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Update 8/4/13: Cleaned up the rest of the previous chapter and re-worded it. It's a little rudimentary, but not every story starts out as an award winning novel. This should suffice though.**

(Hatch, 1st person)

I sat against the wall of my home, my legs sitting Indian-style and my arms crossed at my chest. I had my eyes closed in thought.

At the other end of the water tower, Serena was calmly sitting back, her eyes tracing my form. I knew because she had been doing it for the last ten minutes.

I sighed and opened my eyes, looking at her.

"I would never have guessed that you could talk. It's quite a shock to me..."

Serena looked at the floor, her gaze drifting to the floor.

"I'm sorry that I never told you from the start. I...didn't know how you would have reacted."

I sighed again in irritation and quickly stood up. I strode over to where Serena was sitting and then reached down and picked her up. I then carried her to my previously occupied spot and then I sat down with her still in my grasp. She looked into my eyes with a little bit of dread and slight fear.

I pulled her into a warm embrace, burying her head in my black mane. I then gently rested my head on top of hers, my left paw softly stroking her side in an affectionate manner.

"You don't need to apologize for anything."

I spoke in a soft voice.

"You were forced to tell me when I needed help venting my powers. You helped me in my time of need, and for that, you have my deepest gratitude."

I pulled my head back so that I could see her face. I watched as she slowly looked up and met my gaze, tears of joy threatening to form. She gave a soft smile and then leaned up and licked my cheek.

I could only chuckle.

We sat like that for a few more minutes, enjoying each others body heat before Serena started to squirm slightly, signaling that she wanted to let go. I opened my arms and she got off of my lap and sat in front of me, a smile still on her face.

"Thanks, Hatch."

"It's no prob."

The Blue Heeler then gained a serious expression.

"You know, I think it's about time I told you who I am exactly. I mean, here I am, being your companion and friend, and you don't even know who I am, what I am, and how I learned to talk."

I leaned back and rested against the wall with my arms across my chest again.

"Well...those questions _have_ been bugging me lately."

Serena took a deep breath and then laid on her stomach, facing me.

"Well, I guess it all started when I was just a little pup. I was always so playful and curious. Of course, that also made me stubborn. I don't quite remember how I _exactly_ lived as a pup, I still remember that faithful day when my life changed forever.

"I was playing with my brothers and sisters when I heard a strange 'whooshing' and buzzing sound. Being the curious pup, I decided to investigate. All I faintly recall seeing was a large cloud-like thing forming, before a strange looking dinosaur appeared. I remember that it was an orange color. Even though I was little, my instincts told me that this thing was a threat. Especially because it had a superior look in it's eye.

"When it spotted me, it attacked, thinking that I would make an easy meal. I remember being hit in the chest and thrown a good distance. It hurt...a lot. I started to cry and yell for help. I was afraid. Afraid that I would never see my mother and my brothers and sisters again. Before this..._creature_ could deliver the final strike, I saw my mother leap out of the bushes and attack it.

"I was so scared.

"After putting up a good fight, my mother was bitten by the large Digimon and she was thrown into a tree, bleeding and unconscious.

"That is when I lost it.

"I gave a loud snarl before I jumped at the injured Digimon and I sank my teeth into it's neck where my mother had previously attacked it. I only saw red as I tugged and yanked in all different directions, the taste of blood running throughout my mouth. I don't know how, but I had managed to finally bring it down, it's throat ripped open and it's life-sustaining liquid pouring out of the open wound like a river.

"I left the creature's corpse behind as I made my way to my mother. She was hurt, but alive. When she had awoken, she only looked at me with fear instead of love and warmth, as if I was a complete stranger.

"I had blood soaked into my fur around my face and paws, making me look vicious. I felt tears form as she started to back away from me.

"That was when I noticed that the creature had started to fall apart into what I believe you call 'data'. The data, instead of dissipating, started to flow around my small body before absorbing itself into me, healing my wounds and giving me a power I had never felt before. I felt like a whole new person.

"That was when I noticed that my mother was no longer looking at me like a monster, but like a misunderstood pup. I felt relief as she started to lick my head and clean me of the blood. I could only cry with happiness when I realized that we were all going to be alright.

"It was only a few days after the fight with that Digimon that I started to notice some changes in my body. I was faster and stronger than everyone else. My reflexes became sharper. I even began to understand and mimic human speech.

For the next couple of years, I nurtured this power so that I could protect those around me. I battled Digimon and absorbed their data to become even more stronger.

"I guess that will have to be the summary of my life for now, Hatch. I don't want to reveal more than what is necessary."

I groaned when she stopped telling me her life story.

"Why did you have to stop? The story was getting good."

She only gave me a teasing smile.

"The greatest reward comes after patience."

"Whatever, I'm gonna take a nap now. I'm still exhausted for some reason."

Serena walked over to the other side of the water tower, but stopped and then grinned faintly at me.

"It may take a while for you to fully maintain your powers. Fatigue is common."

I only rolled my eyes as I leaned back into the wooden wall.

"Whatever."

(Renamon, 3rd person)

Renamon sat in a tree at Shinjuku Park. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was steady.

Even though she appeared calm on the outside, her mind was ablaze with questions, one appearing after another with no end in sight. She was even more curious now about the other Renamon and what he was up to. He carried a lot of power, just from venting it out in such a large and quite righteous manner. Renamon was also curious about why the AssassinRenamon did it. Unless he was a fresh evolution from Viximon, he should've already known how to control his powers. It was dangerous to not know any control, and he carried a massive amount of power...but did he know about his own power?

And what was with that dog that was with him...it was like it was speaking to him.

Renamon sighed.

"I need to clear my head."

She then began running towards Rika's home, thinking that some training might help.

(Hatch, 3rd person)

A scarlet pattern traveled across Hatch's body without him knowing and then quickly disappeared. This made Serena raise her equivalent of an eyebrow at the now sleeping AssassinRenamon.

"What the..."

She then just shrugged it off, thinking it was her mind playing tricks on her. She then laid down on the blanket Hatch gave her and she quickly fell into a light nap.

**Author's Note: I guess this chapter probably seemed rushed to you, the Readers, and I'm sorry for that. I've just been so busy lately, so I apologize. Remember to leave a review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Sorry that I haven't updated in awhile, but I've been really busy coming up with a cool new story idea. Do to some events, I'm gonna update the story an average of once a week on the weekends. **

(Daichi Kazue, 3rd Person)

Daichi sat at the register of his store and read the current day's newspaper. He only smiled when he saw the main story that was on the front page.

_Digimon Involved in Riot!_

He went on to read about how a fox-like Digimon had tried to save an officer from a group of Digimon protesters and succeeded, but ended up getting injured in the process. It then said that a group of officers had picked the Digimon up and safely loaded it into their riot vehicle and how they made a quick retreat. The Digimon was named a hero by a certain officer named Hayato Kazue.

"It's good to see that you haven't changed, son."

A chime sounded as the front door to the shop opened. Daichi looked up from his newspaper. He was shocked to see who had entered.

The three thugs from before were now heading his way, evil grins on their faces.

"You know why we're here. You are to give us the equipment that our boss desires NOW!"

"I will not."

The leader slammed his fist on the countertop, making a small crack form.

"Don't fuck with us, old man!"

Daichi kept his expression emotionless has he slowly reached under the counter and grabbed the body of a metal crowbar.

"I must demand that you leave my shop. You are not welcomed here."

The leader leaned forward until he was face-to-face with Daichi.

"Or what?"

Daichi's grip on the crowbar tightened.

"Or this."

He spun around and roundhoused the leader with the crowbar, knocking him to the floor with blood leaking out of his mouth.

One of the thugs jumped at the old shop owner and tried to tackle him, only to miss and fly into a display case, shattering the glass.

The last thug pulled a handgun out of his trench coat pocket and pointed it at Daichi.

(Hatch, 1st Person)

I sat idly on the roof of my home and gazed out into the city, my hood pulled up and the chain of my kusarigama clinking every time I shifted. Serena was currently laying next to me, asleep peacefully

Man, how can she sleep so much?

Suddenly, a loud "Boom" echoed through the calm Shinjuku air. Activating my Eagle Vision, I looked in the direction of the noise, my ears perked up in alert.

I noticed that the aura around the area that Daichi's shop was in was a reddish color. I quickly switched back to my normal vision and stood up. Serena, now awake, stood up also.

"Stay here, I'll check it out."

Serena looked at me with an expression that said she was about to argue, but then she decided to agree.

After I said good-bye, I hopped off of the tower and landed in the alleyway. I then began to sprint towards Daichi's shop.

Once I reached the general store, I slammed my way through the door and stopped with a shocked expression on my face.

It was those damn thugs from before. The leader was on his feet and holding his severely damaged jaw, a few teeth missing, another one was currently holding his face, pulling what looked like glass out of it, and the final thug had a triumphant look on his face, a pistol pointed at Daichi.

I looked towards where the barrel was pointed. I gasped.

Daichi was on the ground, clutching his stomach, which was bleeding profusely.

Something in my mind clicked.

Everything turned red.

I pulled my Bowie knife out and jumped at the thug with the glass in his face, a hateful snarl eliciting from me. I kicked him in the stomach, launching him in the air. I drove the knife into the side of his airborne body, then grabbed the handle with both paws and threw him through the store's front window, causing the knife to be forcefully yanked from his side as he crashed through the window and landed on the sidewalk outside.

I spun around and avoided the leader as he tried to tackle me. I grabbed him and threw him into the wall, incapacitating him.

I ducked as a bullet grazed my right ear. I threw my knife at him. It penetrated his stomach and knocked him down.

I strode with a purpose towards the leader, who was struggling to pick himself up. I unwrapped my kusarigama and wrapped one end of the chain around my paw and wrapped the other around my other paw.

Using it like a garrot, I wrapped it around his neck twice and yanked upwards. He tried to gasp, but he only managed a choking sound.

My voice was laced with venom and hate as I spoke.

"What the fuck are you doing here? I told you to leave."

"*choke* Never...tell."

I growled and yanked upwards again.

"I'll snuff the flame of your soul out if you don't tell me."

"What...you do...is nothing...compared to what the *gasp* boss will do."

I grabbed the handle of the sickle and held the blade to his neck.

"Do you want to take that chance?"

He looked at the blade with fear. I drank the look of fear of death on his face like a blissful cocktail.

"*choke*"

"What was that?"

I loosened the garrot a little so he could speak clearly.

"Fuck you."

He then spat in my face.

Pulling the sickle away, I unwrapped the chain from my paws and then swung him out of the window onto his glass-faced buddy, knocking him unconscious. He wasn't worth the bloody mess.

I calmed myself down and turned my attention to more important matters. I ran towards Daichi and quickly checked him over. He was bleeding terribly, but he was still alive.

I placed my hands on his wounds and used Tocco di Eva to remove the bullet and seal the wound. Daichi opened his eyes and he focused on me.

"Daichi, are you alright?"

"Yes Hatch. I'm fine, thanks to you."

I helped him onto his feet. He was a little shaky but he just shrugged it off. I placed my paw on his shoulder.

"Why are they here? It shouldn't be a coincidence that they've appeared twice and demanded something from you. "

He looked at the floor, wondering what to say.

"I can't tell you out in the open. I'll tell you later tonight."

I simply nodded. I turned towards the door as I started to hear police sirens.

"Figures."

Daichi tapped me on the shoulder and gestured towards the back.

"There's a door in the back. Exit the store that way."

I smiled.

"Much obliged."

I then ran out of the back door and into an alleyway.

Once I arrived home, exhaustion finally took over and I collapsed onto the floor inside the water tower. I didn't have the time to currently deal with Serena bouncing around me, asking me why there was blood on my paws, knife, and why my ear was bleeding.

I simply told her I was fine and allowed the energy from my Tocco di Eva to relax my muscles and heal my wounds as I fell into a light sleep.

**Author's Note: What could the thugs want? What's Daichi hiding? Who is this 'boss'? Stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Well, here's the weekly update. I've been pretty busy with another story idea that I hope to get started after I get some progress with my other stories done.**

(Unknown, 3rd person)

"YOU FUCKING IMBECILES!"

The 3 familiar thugs cringed in the darkness. After getting bailed out of jail by a 'technicality', they were medically treated and brought in to see the Boss. And it wasn't going very well so far.

"I gave you a simple task. You were to collect the old man's monthly protection and bring me the 'equipment' he has in his possession. But you 3 idiots can even do that right!"

The thug on the left of the leader stepped forward.

"But Boss! It wasn't our fault! The old man has a Digimon protecting him!"

The slightly portly man behind the desk was about to yell at the henchman, but then held it back. A new question popped up instead.

"_Digimon?_"

"Y-Yes."

The Boss sat back in his chair and ran his hand across his short, graying hair. Maybe this idiots were still of some use.

"A Digimon. What kind of Digimon are we talking about?"

The leader stepped forward.

"It's some kind of fox Digimon. It's silver and black, wears a solid white hood-cape-thing, wears a chained weapon around his waist, has what I believe to be a 5-6 in. bladed knife, and he wears these large, metal and leather vambraces."

The Boss leaned forward.

"That's quite a fine description, Kane. It sounds like a Renamon. I'll take care of it this time, I don't need to waste more money on your bail and medical bills."

The Boss turned around and looked out the window of the warehouse.

"Whatever you say, Boss."

Kane and his 2 buddies left the room.

The minute they did, The Boss took out a large cigar and lit it.

"Mark my words, Digimon. I will make sure that you will suffer a painful and agonizing death. This will send a message to you and those Tamer brats that _no one_ fucks with the Yakuza.

(Hatch, 1st person)

I sat on the roof of the water tower, the double-barrel rifle in my paws. I gazed at the moon's reflection on the polished black barrel. No matter how long I stared at it, I just couldn't figure out what this feeling in my gut was. I kept thinking that I was either over-looking or not understanding what was in my paws.

"It's time for your meeting."

I turned my gaze towards the Blue Heeler laying beside me.

"Alright Serena. I'll see you later."

I wrapped the double-barrel rifle in it's cloth and I quickly placed it next to Serena.

"Take care."

"I will."

I jumped off of the tower and began my relatively short journey towards Daichi's shop.

The door jingled as I opened it. Daichi was already standing there, waiting for me in the scarcely lighted shop.

"Come along, Hatch. I'll explain everything in the back, but first, I must show you something."

I shrugged my shoulders and followed him into the back room. He pulled a few books off of a shelf and pulled a large, decorated, wooden box from the shelf.

"This-"

He opened the box.

"-is the reason for all of our trouble."

I eyed what was in the box, astonished.

In the box, was a black bodied LeMat revolver with an ivory grip, and a cylindrical WWII era lantern was lying underneath it. The lantern's body was a deep silver color, had a single opening in the front so that the light only went one direction, and the opening had a shutter covering it with a small lip on the top. There was also a small belt clip on the top of it.

I looked up at Daichi.

"What are these things?"

Daichi gently laid the box on a nearby table. He then turned to face me with a serious expression.

"Hatch, how long do you think Digimon have been in our world?"

I eyed him with a confused expression.

"Since the Digimon game was created, right?"

The old shop owner nodded.

"Yes, but _how long_ do you think Digimon have been in our world."

Daichi shook his head this time.

"Hatch, Digimon have been in our world a lot longer than what people actually think. Digimon have been in our world for a _long_ time. This weapon and lantern are one of the few artifacts that prove it."

My eyes widened and my mind went into overdrive. There was _no way_ that Digimon could have been here for more than a year or two.

I was about to voice this doubt until Daichi pulled out the lantern and held it in front of me.

"Look at the inscription on the bottom of this lantern."

I gently took it from the shopkeeper and looked underneath the lantern.

There appeared to be some sort of strange writing carved into the silver metal. At first, I couldn't understand it, but then, it felt like a voice in the back of my head started to translate it for me.

_The Will o' the Wisp will light your way._

I shook my head to clear my thoughts, but then, something really strange happened.

I felt as though some of my energy had drained from me. My knees shook slightly and I was able to catch myself on the table. The voice started to speak in my head again. It felt as though it was right next to me, whispering in my ear with a velvety female voice.

_It will light your way. It can guide you in the darkest of night. It will blind your prey, should you lose your might._

The voice kept whispering that into my ears until it felt like it was now speaking into my mind.

I was snapped out of the trance when I felt an arm wrap itself around my midsection to keep me from falling.

"Hatch, are you alright?"

The faint light allowed me to see his worried eyes.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine."

I then looked back down into the lantern in my paws. Lifting it up a little, I flicked down the small lever on the opening's left side with my thumb, opening the shutters.

I gasped and dropped the lantern onto the table when my vision was blinded by a bright light.

Allowing my vision to re-adjust to the room's lighting, I looked back at the lantern.

The shutters were opened, and a royal blue light was bathing part of the room in a warm, yet cold light where the lantern was facing. There was also a blueish fog flowing out of the opening like heavy smoke.

I slowly grabbed the lantern from the table and I gently closed the shutter, taking the blue light away from the room. I gazed into the closed opening, a yearning in my eyes. It felt as though I had kept this lantern all my life.

I looked closely and I noticed that there was now a maroon colored crescent moon imprinted onto the shutters.

"It seems that the lantern has chosen you for it's owner."

I spun my head around and faced Daichi.

"I was 'chosen'?"

"Yes, I have studied these artifacts for quite awhile now. It seems that you can't simply claim the artifacts, but they instead have to chose you."

After the words sunk in, I quickly reached for the LeMat revolver and examined it. There was now a same maroon crescent moon on the ivory grip.

Daichi walked froward and stood beside me.

"According to my research, the lantern and revolver belonged to a Digimon that served in the Civil War and World War II. It doesn't surprise me actually. After all, Digimon don't age."

I whipped my attention back to Daichi, my eyes wide and my jaw dropped.

"_How?"_

He only shrugged with a smile on his face.

"I don't quite know myself. Maybe Digimon have existed before the game was created, maybe they created a time machine, who knows? But that is where the excitement in research is."

I could only nod in an unsure manner.

"So those thugs were after these artifacts?"

He nodded.

"Since there is so few of these pieces of history, there are is a large sum of money attached to them. People will pay anything just to have them hanging on there mantle, gathering dust and providing the popularity that the vain person wants. The lantern itself could fetch more than the ransom of three kings. That is why I want to give them to you, Hatch. Because I know you can keep them safe."

I stared at him for what felt like forever. He was intrusting me with something that could change history as we know it. I felt like my head was about to explode with pride and trust.

Instead of doing a jig, I simply nodded.

"You can trust me Daichi. I will sooner die than let a bunch of lowly thugs sell these artifacts."

The shop owner beamed.

"Excellent!"

He took the lantern and clipped it to the right side of my belt and then he clipped a holster to my left and rested the revolver inside it's velvet lined grip.

After I gave Daichi a farewell, I exited out the back of the store and ran back to my home, anxious to see how Serena would react to the new discovery.

(Unknown)

The presence in Hatch's mind had now grown, becoming self-aware of what was happening. It smiled, but not in malice, but in happiness. It was content with Hatch. It felt complete with Hatch. It would always want to bring goodwill to Hatch.

It wormed it's way into the deep parts of Hatch's mind, content with watching all of Hatch's memories.

**Author's Note: ****A better way to get a good picture of what the lantern looks like, watch ****Pumpkin Scissors****. The lantern looks just like the one that Randel Oland uses, including the shutter and the lever opening. The differences are that it lacks the "901" plate and that the light is a royal blue instead of a sky blue. It also uses a belt clip instead of a belt loop.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Well, here's the weekly update. I would like to thank everyone who has written a review for this story. It let's me know that people love reading this story. I would also like to personally thank MyDigitalHazard for giving me help, encouragement, and advice. I also thank him for beta-reading it for me. This chapter is gonna be longer than the others.**

(Hatch, 1st person)

I sat on top of my water tower with Serena laying next to me. I was getting pretty bored with my usual routine. It was simply: get up, patrol, eat, sleep. In that order.

I perked my ears every once and awhile to see if there was anything interesting going on in the my area. All I got was the usual sounds of cars driving by and people walking and talking. It was monotonous.

As I laid back to rest my eyes for a few minutes, I heard the lantern hit the wooden roof. I paused and looked at it.

Ever since I brought this lantern home with me, I've been filled with a sense of longing. It just felt really weird to be around the lantern. Even Serena felt strange around it.

I was snapped from these thoughts when I heard sirens going off. With Serena by my side, we both went to the edge of the building and looked down the street.

There was a large convoy of fire engines traveling down the road with their lights on and their sirens blaring. The convoy of fast moving fire engines was being led through traffic by a Kei car fire truck and a pair of red Honda TLM220R "Quick Attack" bikes.

Thinking that this could liven up my day, I quickly grabbed Serena and I jumped off of the building into a shadow.

Holding onto Serena tightly I skimmed ran across the streets of the Shadow Plane, following the fire engines. They couldn't see me, but I could see them.

I jumped and grabbed onto a Rescue Truck Type III and climbed on top of it, where me and Serena stood for the ride.

I noticed that one of the firefighters was looking at where I was standing with a confused expression. I looked at where I was placing my feet and noticed that some frost was starting to form.

"Crap. Serena."

The Blue Heeler looked in my direction.

"Serena, I think we oughta keep our feet moving. There's frost forming underneath us. I don't think it would be good to let them know we're here just yet."

We be started walking across the top of the vehicle to keep frost from forming, stumbling to keep our balance every time the fire truck took a turn really fast.

I started to hear more sirens and I even heard a helicopter flying. I looked ahead and saw what was likely the fire engines' destination.

There was a thick smell of smoke as I looked up. A large apartment complex that was probably 590 ft. tall with about 65 stories. There was fire spewing out of the 43rd to the 60th floor with large plumes of smoke.

I had to lay my ears back just to keep the shouting from the fire crews and the civilians from giving me a headache.

Serena and I jumped off of the fire truck and I got us to a small office building that was across the street, where I promptly phased us back into the Normal Plane.

I sat and watched the chaos unfold in front of us. There were people running around and scrambling in all directions. I saw an officer haul a man into a police car, I saw a Super Ambulance pull up, I even saw a man try to run back into the building, only to get grabbed and yanked away by a group of firefighters. He was screaming about a group of people being trapped on the 45th floor.

"I know you're thinking about helping."

I turned to the Blue Heeler.

"Was it that obvious?"

"More than you know."

I turned back towards the fire.

"You're not going to stop me?"

Serena smiled.

"I already know that trying to stop you is a lost cause. Good luck."

"Thanks."

I jumped off of the building and stood on the sidewalk. I then looked at my D-Arc.

"Any advice before I dig my own grave."

"I'm not very good at calculating your survival rating in a disaster that isn't a battle. All I can say is that you should watch your step. I can tap into the communication channel that the firefighters are using."

"I'd appreciate it."

I then started walking towards the crowd. Many of them looked at me and stepped back so that I could get through. Others simply glared at me with hate, telling me that I should just go and die somewhere.

I found the fire chief and tapped his shoulder to get his attention. He turned around and his eyes widened when he saw, but he quickly shook it off. I pulled my hood down so that he could see my face better.

"Anything I can do to help?"

The chief simply shook his head.

"No. I don't know what you can do to help."

"Can you at least tell me the situation?"

He looked at me warily.

"I suppose so. There's a small group of 6 people trapped somewhere on the 45th floor. This fire has been burning long enough to where the supports for the building are weakening. We cleared the surrounding buildings because we think it could collapse pretty soon. I can't can't risk sending a group of men in there because they could get killed."

"Then allow me to search for the group."

The fire chief shook his head again.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that."

He then chuckled lightly.

"Although, I'm guessing that you're going to ignore me and do it anyways?"

I smiled slightly and pulled my hood up.

"You got that right."

I then held my arm up to show him my D-Arc.

"Don't worry, I can keep you posted with my D-Arc. I'm already tapped into your comm channels."

"I wish you good luck."

"Thanks."

I ran past him and ran towards the doors of the smoking building and jumped over the barricade into the building that contained the inferno that would rival that of Hell itself.

Luckily the stairs were close to the entrance, because the smoke coming from the elevators and the heavily smashed doors told me that they were out of order.

I opened the door to the stairwell and then I started jumping and grabbing onto the outside of the stair's railings, then jumping off of those to the railings a floor above. I continued this until I reached the 44th floor.

I then climbed over the railings and walked the rest of the way up to the 45th floor. Although the door wasn't on fire, I could feel the heat radiating from it and I could see the plume of smoke snaking underneath the door.

Quickly opening the door and walking through, I was bombarded with intense heat and the smell of smoke made me cough and choke for a second.

I rapidly began searching the area, intent on searching for the survivors. My fur allowed me to touch hot things without burning the skin, although it still hurt.

I walked down a hallway that was starting to weaken.

"HELLO! CAN ANYBODY HERE ME?"

I perked my ears when I heard s someone shouting for help. I ran down the hallway, dodging a falling piece of the ceiling, and stopped at a door that was being blocked by a large ceiling support.

"Hang on! I'm coming!"

I summoned the energy of my Metal Inferno, the flickering silver flames making their appearance on my lower arms and legs.

I reached forward and grabbed the metal support, the silver flames on my arms protecting me from the heat. With a strong pull, I picked it up and threw it a few feet away.

I then kicked the door in, the weakened wood shattered in two and fell off of the hinges. I was greeted by a group of people.

"Who are you ? Where's the fire department?"

"I'm the only one who would enter. Follow me."

The group of 6 followed me into the smoke with haste and without argue.

We quickly ran across the hallways, avoiding the flames and debris. I was reaching for the door to the stairwell when I heard a voice. It sounded familiar.

_You're not done._

I looked at the woman standing next to me.

"Did you say something?"

She shook her head.

"No."

_A child is waiting for help on the top floor. You must help her._

I shook my head to dispel the voice, but it kept repeating itself.

"I want all of you to take the stairs and leave through the front. There shouldn't be any fires blocking your way. Go!"

They all quickly ran down the stairs, shouting thanks to me.

_Hurry! She is waiting._

I didn't want to trust a voice in my head, but I had no choice. I went with my gut on this one.

I began running up the stairs to the top floor, jumping across the gaps and even using my kusarigama as rope to pull me up a few floors. I finally made it to the top floor. That's when I felt the building shake and shift.

I grabbed the railing. I guess the fire chief was right when he said the building was unstable. I started running through the large penthouses that were on the top floor, searching for this 'child' that the voice spoke of.

I was about to give up when I heard crying. I jumped and smashed through a locked door, now standing in a living room. I saw a small girl, no older than 8, crying on the couch, a blanket wrapped around her purple and white clothes.

I approached her, choosing not to question the voice in my head. She looked up with red and puffy eyes before shifting away. I slowly lifted my arms forward, beckoning her to come with me.

"Come on. Don't be afraid of me, I won't hurt you."

She slowly started to get off of the couch, curiousness in her eyes now.

"Where's Mommy and Daddy. I want to see them."

I mentally sighed. I didn't even know if they were alive or not, but I had to save her.

"They're outside, waiting for you."

She smiled a little and walked towards me, grabbing my paw and signaling me to take her to them. I quickly picked her up and started walking outside of the room.

Her joyful giggling was the last thing I heard before a loud explosion rocked the entire area and sent me flying down the hallway, the girl still in my grasp.

(Serena, 1st person)

I gasped and stood up.

A large explosion rocked the entire apartment complex. I could see the blast traveling up the entire building, blowing out pieces of the walls and shattering windows. The entire roof blew off of the building as it started leaning to the right.

I could hear screaming and I saw the entire crowd disperse and run in the opposite direction off the building.

I was scared and worried for Hatch. I thought I would've seen him exit with the group of people that came out earlier.

Tears were starting to form.

"Please, Hatch. Please be alright."

Fighting the tears, I quickly climbed down a fire escape and ran towards the entrance to the building.

I quickly jumped back from the entrance when a large chunk of the ceiling landed and blocked the entire doorway.

"NO! DAMMIT!"

(Hatch, 1st person)

I groaned in terrible pain.

It felt like every bone in my body was broke.

I opened my eyes and looked around. I was lying on the floor, the girl still in my grasp. She was unconscious, but not seriously harmed.

I looked up at the ceiling. There was a large hole in it leading to the top floor, _about 5 floors above._

I can't believe I survived, but now I'm lost and trapped. There was debris cutting me off from salvation in each direction. I slowly sat up and held the girl to my chest tightly as the fire started to close in around us. I was going to protect her until the end.

The building began to shake, meaning the foundation was too weak to hold the building up. I could hear the comm chatter on my wrist. The building was leaning and starting to fall on it's side.

I gripped onto the floor as the debris around me started sliding forward towards the window, the thick glass keeping the debris from falling.

_It's your only hope. Jump._

_'I can't. It's too high up.'_

I looked at a fire that was burning on the wall. It started swirling and then it began to take a rough shape of a person. I could barely make out the face, which had a determined smile on it. It reached forward and yanked me to my feet. The fire didn't hurt, which surprised me.

_Just time it right and you'll survive. The lantern will help. Just open it and I'll help you._

The figure turned back into a normal fire burning on the wall.

I stared at the window before glancing at the ash covered lantern on my side. I slowly reached down and flicked the lever down, opening the shutters.

I gasped. It felt like cold water was traveling up my spine and into my mind. I panted heavily, the world around me starting to slow down. The heat disappeared, as did the smell of smoke.

I felt...calm. Serene. A sense of purpose.

I looked down at the girl in my grasp. She opened her blue eyes and looked into mine. She lightly grasped my mane and hugged herself close to me.

I smiled and wrapped my arms around her in a tight embrace, not wanting to drop her.

I heard the loud sounds of metal snapping and bending. I leaned back and grasped an exposed pipe in the wall as the building began to fall.

After waiting a few seconds I dug the claws of my feet into the floor and pushed as hard as I could. I ran down the hallway at lightning speed, dodging falling ceiling tiles. The window that was now my salvation was the only thing I could see as my peripheral vision started to disappear.

I made a final push with my feet and propelled myself through the window, curling myself up into a ball as I went through the thick, multiple layered glass. I could feel it give way, the sound of shattering glass filling my ears.

I opened my eyes as I felt the overwhelming sense of falling. Looking up, I saw an office building that was across the street from the apartment coming up fast.

I tucked my legs in and then pushed with all my might and ricocheted off of the building I was heading for. I then activated my Metal Inferno and dug my paws into the outside walls of the falling apartment complex, sliding down the wall and ripping away at it in chunks. The girl held onto me for dear life.

The ground was coming up fast. I wasn't going to slow down fast enough to land gracefully on my feet. A pipe sticking out of the building hit my arms and knocked me away, sending me into a 6 story free-fall.

The ground was coming up faster now.

"Oh shit, this is gonna hurt."

Everything went black as I hit the concrete.

**Cliffhanger! I know I must of killed your buzz, but that is the point of an exciting cliffhanger. Sorry.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Sorry for being late on the weekly update, but schoolwork comes first, I guess. Now, on to where the previous cliffhanger left off. Time to see what happens next. One last thing, I'm still looking for more reviews.**

(Hatch, 1st person)

Cold

It was... cold

I... I couldn't move.

I couldn't hear.

I couldn't even see.

I felt as though I was floating in a pool of ice water, the chill working it's way through my fur..

The blackness was everywhere. It was swirling around me, trying to suffocate me.

I began to panic, trying to will my body to move, but I couldn't.

I could not only hear, but now feel dark whispers in my head, telling me that I failed, that I'm going to die.

I felt a tear roll down me cheek.

_ENOUGH!_

I jumped at the strong, feminine voice. I felt the darkness start to leave my mind, running away from the presence.

I could now see what was going on. I was floating upright in an ongoing black void.

I looked down at myself.

I didn't have my vambraces, gloves, D-Arc, or even my cowl on. My kusarigama and my bowie knife were gone too. All I had left was my double-barrel rifle on my back, my black belt with the lantern hooked to it, and my LeMat revolver in its holster.

But... they looked... _different_.

The lantern was opened, it's royal blue glow lighting the invisible path ahead of me, but there was a very large amount of fog and smoke coming out of it, blanketing the area around me in a thick barrier of gray and royal blue.

I pulled the LeMat revolver out of it's holster. It still had it's black finish and ivory grip with a maroon crescent moon on it, but there was a silver glow emanating from the barrel and the cylinder. There was also a strange aura radiating from it that was distorting the air around it, like looking at the air around a roadway on a hot day.

Holstering the revolver, I grabbed the rifle off of my back and looked it over, astonished with what I saw.

It was solid black with gleaming silver metal on the action and on the two hammers that were behind each barrel. There were swirling lines of golden fire and silver tribal patterns traveling down the barrel all the way to the tip. There were intricate, well carved, and silver covered designs on the black wooden stock that depicted a lone kitsune standing proud in an open field. There was a golden glow that was, just like the revolver, emanating from the tip of the barrel and in the action.

_Beautiful, ain't it?_

I quickly pulled the double-barrel rifle's stock to my shoulder, pulled both hammers back with a swift movement from my paw, and started to swing the barrel around in random directions, prepared to pull one of the double triggers and kill whatever was in this black Hell with me.

_No need to be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to meet you._

I backed away from a silhouette that was starting to emerge from the darkness in front of me.

The figure was about a foot and a half taller than me, and was roughly shaped like a Renamon, but it looked as though it was simply a puddle of black water and smoke trying to keep that form. The most distinguishing feature of the black Renamon was the eyes.

Shining, bright, and very warm eyes that glowed with golden light that made me feel as though I was looking at the sun.

It spoke in a soft, velvety female voice.

_Greetings, Hatch Striker._

The grip on my rifle tightened, the barrel pointed at the Renamon.

To my surprise, the figure gave me a sly smile and started snickering.

_You do know that it ain't loaded, right?_

I glanced at the rifle's breech, and that was all she needed.

The Renamon ran forward, grabbed the front of the barrel, and pushed it upward, then forward, hitting me square in the nose and knocking me to the ground.

I laid there dazed, the void spinning around me in a disorienting fashion. I saw the Renamon appear in my vision, a sly smile still on her face and the rifle in her right paw. Grabbing my arm, she pulled me to my feet and gave me the rifle back.

_Sorry, couldn't resist messing with you._

I only grumbled before asking my questions.

"Who are you, where am I, how do I get out of this Hell, and how do you know my name?"

She reached forward and tapped me on the nose with a single finger, startling me and annoying me.

_Tut tut tut! No need to be demanding. I was gonna tell you anyways._

My eye started to twitch in irritation.

_In order: my name doesn't matter, you're currently in a coma, you must wait for your body to heal completely, and finally, how I know isn't important right now. By the way, I'd hold on for a moment, because you're about to experience some pain and regain consciousness for a few seconds._

"Wha~?"

"_CLEAR!"_

I gasped and sat up as I felt the jolt of a defibrillator travel through my body.

I quickly looked around and noticed that I was at the apartment building's collapse site, a whole bunch of medical personal surrounding me.

One of them immediately shined a pen light in my eye to see if I was responsive, which I proved by shutting my eye and groaning in absolute agony from what I believed to be a broken back.

They all began to shout for an ambulance as I felt the gurney that they seemed to have put me on get pulled up and moved.

As I was being put inside an ambulance, I suddenly felt lightheaded and closed my eyes to shake the feeling away.

When I opened my eyes, I was now standing in a thick jungle, the black Renamon standing in front of me with an impatient look on her face.

_Took you long enough._

I simply looked at her with slight fear and a little desperation in my voice.

"What... the hell... just HAPPENED!"

She only shrugged her shoulders in a nonchalant manner.

_You blacked out._

"Why the hell did they use a defibrillator on me? You said I was only in a coma!"

The Renamon only shrugged again.

_Hey, being in a coma is a lot better than being dead._

My eyes widened.

"The hell do you mean?"

_I mean that it is better to be told that you're in a coma than being told that you're dead._

"I WAS DEAD?"

She rolled her eyes, annoyance shining from the gold glint they gave off.

_Yes, you_ were _dead. But now you are alive._

I threw my arms in the air in exasperation and annoyance.

"For the love of god!"

_Now now, no need to get all worked up over this. _

Her eyes suddenly widened.

_Oh! It seems that our time is up for now. I'm gonna have to visit you in your sleep next time._

I closed my eyes and shook my head at this strange Renamon's behavior, but when I lifted my head up and opened my eyes, I felt a rush of pain go through my body and saw my vision blur.

I shot up and regretted it when I felt my back send waves of pain throughout my entire body.

Once it subsided. I took a slow look around the new room I was in. Judging by the heart monitoring equipment that was beside me and by the IV's that were jabbed into my arm, it seemed that I was in a hospital room.

I looked down at myself and noticed that I no longer had _any_ equipment with me. I didn't even have my firearms or even my lantern with me.

Groaning, I simply laid back into the pillow and began to ponder what had just happened.

I apparently died, met a Renamon in some kind of void, got brought back to life and into the real world for a couple of seconds, then fell unconscious and met the Renamon again, but this time in a jungle.

Now, I'm apparently in a hospital room without my weapons, equipment, or even Serena.

I groaned and put my paws on my face in irritation.

"This sucks."

"It must in the condition _you're_ in."

I quickly spun my head to look at the door to the room.

In the doorway was a tall man with dark blonde, almost brown hair. He was wearing a black suit with a dark and pale purple tie and a pair of sunglasses covered his eyes. My eyes widened when I recognized what was in his hand.

A silver Zippo lighter.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Well, I can't really add anymore enthusiasm into this note like I did in the other ones. All I can do is simply thank MyDigitalHazard for sticking with me and being a great help with the improvements.**

**One last thing: I am hoping that those who read this chapter try to leave a review, because reviews tell me that people still like this story.**

(Hatch, 1st person)

My eyes widened when I instantly recognized who the well dressed man was, and that was all the convincing I needed in order to try to escape from him.

I threw the hospital blanket off and tried to jump towards the window. I only managed to get the upper half of my torso off of the bed before I collapsed into an ungraceful heap onto the floor.

Luckily the IV's were long, otherwise it would've hurt to get them yanked out. They were gonna get pulled out even when I jumped through the window anyway, but still.

I groaned in pain until I noticed my Tocco di Eva starting to kick in, the golden and glowing energy mist slowly flowing into my body, repairing any damage and dulling the pain.

When I heard the sounds of footsteps approaching me, I tried to summon the energy for my Metal Inferno, but the silver flames refused to make their appearance. I tried to summon a knife with my Blade Conjure, but nothing happened. The energy from my Tocco di Eva was starting to get jittery, sensing my need for energy, but not being able to spare any.

I began to panic. I couldn't use my powers, my weapons and equipment were gone, and my legs were refusing to move no matter how much I tried.

I felt dread go through my mind when I saw the figure of Yamaki appear in front of me, his sunglasses no longer on.

A small smile formed on his face.

"AssassinRenamon, I presume?"

I nodded stiffly.

"I must say, you've created quite a stir in the Shinjuku District. Word has been spreading like wildfire about a Digimon that not only saved a riot control officer, but now had saved a group of people from a burning building. Including a little girl."

I stared at him with a surprised expression. I never expected people to actually give that much credit to a Digimon, let alone an unknown one.

The room was filled with silence for a few moments until Yamaki broke it with a small chuckle.

"Don't talk that much, do you?"

I shook my head and spoke in a quiet tone.

"Not with those that I don't know if I can trust."

I then gestured to my legs, wanting to get some answers to my questions.

"Why won't my legs move? Did you give me some sort of tranquilizer?"

The smile on Yamaki's face disappeared and he shook his head.

"No. I'm afraid that you broke your back when you landed on the sidewalk. You won't be able to walk for a while."

My eyes widened and I turned my gaze to the floor, trying to absorb what Yamaki had said.

I saved a group of people and a little girl at the cost of the temporary loss of my legs.

Was it worth it?

An image of the girl's smiling face flashed in my mind.

...Yes.

"Although..."

I looked up at Yamaki as he started speaking.

"...your ability to heal yourself will likely patch you up quickly."

I let go of the breath I didn't know I was holding.

Yamaki only chuckled again before he began walking towards me.

Quickly understanding what he intended to do, I reached up and grabbed the side of the hospital bed and tried to pull myself up as Yamaki lifted up my waist so that I could lie down straight on the bed.

Once the blanket was now covering me, I voiced two other questions that I've been wondering about.

"Where's my equipment? And where's Serena for that matter?"

Yamaki began walking towards the door.

"Your equipment is currently being stored by Hypnos for safe keeping. I don't trust anyone else to hold onto your stuff. If Serena is the dog that Renamon says keeps asking for you, then don't worry. I'll ask Renamon and Rika to bring her up."

I let out a sigh as he walked out of the door.

I casually looked down and watched the golden energy of my Tocco di Eva before I decided to close my eyes and rest for a moment.

"HATCH!"

I let out an 'oof' as I felt a weight suddenly drop onto my stomach. I sat upright as I opened my eyes and looked at the figure currently standing on me.

It was Serena...

… and she didn't look very pleased.

I smiled nervously at her narrowed brown eyes.

"H-Hey Serena. How's it goin'?"

Her hackles rose slightly as she stepped forward until her nose was touching mine.

"Don't give me that! How could you make me worry like that?"

I shrank back until I was lying on my back with her standing on my chest.

"But I had to save the little girl and those people."

"That doesn't excuse you for dying on front of me and then coming back alive, only to fall into a coma!"

Her expression turned from anger into sadness as tears began to form in her eyes. She choked back a sob as she spoke again.

"I thought I lost my only friend in this world."

She began to cry softly as her eyes never left mine.

I could feel tears forming in my eyes too, realization starting to set in. I was her only friend, the only one who gave her a home, the only one to show that they cared.

Reaching up and wrapping my arms around the sobbing Blue Heeler, I pulled her into a warm embrace, her head buried in my neck as her tears flowed freely into my fur, my own tears falling from my eyes and soaking into the pillow.

Eventually, she stopped crying and just laid there, enjoying the warmth of my fur and the steady beat of my heart.

I opened my eyes when I heard someone clearing their throat.

Sitting up while still holding Serena to my chest, I looked at the doorway.

There in the doorway stood both Renamon and Rika, wearing unreadable expressions.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: MERRY CHRISTMAS! This is my Christmas gift to all those that enjoy my story. This chapter takes place before The Lost Warrior.**

(Unknown, 3rd person)

A cold breeze traveled through the trees. The wind wasn't the worst part though. It was the endless snowfall that was really starting to irritate the only current inhabitant of the coniferous forest.

In a small clearing, a large black 1963 Jeep Gladiator that had a camper perched in the truck bed sat still, the windows frosted over and snow accumulating around it's large, off-road wheels. Only a small light could be seen from inside the camper.

Inside the small home, a lone figure sat on his bed, a single small stove burner turned on with a pot of stew resting on it served as the only light source. A small radio was playing _Hurt _by Johnny Cash.

The figure looked to about 17 years old, was wearing a gray, fur-lined jacket with a pair of dark blue jeans and tan combat boots. His features included curly brown hair that was hidden by a black cap that had 'Harley-Davidson' written in orange on the front, hazel eyes that carried a sleepy look to them, an athletic build, and some burn scars on his hands.

Next to the figure laid a CheyTac Intervention sniper rifle that had a black finish with a silver scope. The back of the rifle sat on the floor while the barrel pointed into the air.

The figure sat on the bed, hunched over with his hands on his lap while he waited for his meal to finish cooking. He soon began to wonder.

_'Why do I do this?'_

A small buzzer sounded. The figure slowly got up and turned the burner off and poured the stew into a small bowl. After putting the empty pot into the sink and grabbing a spoon from the utensil drawer, he sat back down and began to eat, his thoughts still focused on the current subject.

_'Surely there's a way out of this job. I can't keep killing people for money, it's just not right.'_

He idly chewed on a piece of meat and swallowed as he looked out of the window. He then looked at his watch.

_'I should finish so that I can sleep. I have to take the shot in about 9 hours.'_

Finishing the stew, he dumped the bowl into the sink before retiring to his bed. He slept in his clothes so that he could be ready in the morning.

While rolling over, something jabbed painfully in his side.

"Ow! Dammit!"

He reached down to his hip and removed a M1911 pistol with a black finish and gold designs on it with an ivory grip that had a bald eagle on it.

"God, why do forget to take this damn thing off?" He was about to just toss it onto the floor when he heard a wolf's howl outside and in the distance. He decided to gently rest it next to his Intervention, just for safety reasons.

The lone figure tried to sleep, but it never came. His thoughts were going his head faster than a rocket. The thought of his mission in the morning was stirring up emotions he never felt before when he did a mission.

_'Can I really go through with it? I know I'm gonna get paid a lot of money for this, but I just can't accept that as the reason to go through with it. I've never assassinated a senator before. And plus, I hate that frickin' cult leader. He may be the one paying me, but I'd sooner crucify myself in the middle of Las Vegas Boulevard than see him again.'_

The figure sat up slowly and ran a hand across his face.

_'I should at least think of a plan B in case the cult leader decides to betray me. He's gonna be on a building right above the podium, so that means he'll be in my line of sight and in range.'_

He began to weigh his options.

_'Okay, if I kill the senator, I get a load of money and a small guarantee that I'll get away without problems, but I would then have to live with the fact that I murdered a highly respected and loved person, and I'll get hunted down by America itself. If I kill the cult leader instead, I get no money, a chance of getting arrested, I'll get chased by a bunch of fanatics around the country, but I get to live with the fact that I killed an infamous criminal that is #3 on the FBI's Most Wanted List.'_

He slammed himself down into the bed.

"God! Why is it so hard to choose! It's a choosing between between open greed and silent glory!"

His cellphone rang, snapping him out of his mental dispute. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled it out. He knew who was on the other end of the phone line, so he answered without even looking out at the number.

"Yeah?"

"_This is Prophet Abraham. I'm just making sure you haven't decided to cancel our contract."_

"I haven't failed a contract yet, you psycho."

A small chuckle was heard on the other end.

"_No need to be so hostile. By doing this, you'll be be guaranteeing yourself a place in Heaven, child."_

"I don't need your bullshit, Abraham. I've read the Bible before and I'm pretty sure that we'll both be going to Hell. Not that I believe in that nonsense anyways."

"_You'll watch your tongue, you brat! God commands that the nonbelievers be released from this mortal world so that they can be punished_ _for their sins!"_

"What the fuck ever. I don't really care for your blind efforts. As long as I get my money and a safe passage into Mexico, I don't care what happens next."

"_You will get your payment once your target is dead and I'll get my contacts to let you pass the border. Just make sure that the demon the ignorant fools call their senator never gets back up."_

"Yeah, yeah."

"_I expect to see you in the morning. Don't you dare fail me."_

"Like I said before, I never fail a contract."

"_Then goodbye, Hatch Striker."_

The line went dead as the cult leader hung up.

Hatch put the phone back into his jacket pocket before reaching over and picking his M1911 back up. He unloaded the magazine, checked to see if it had ammo in it, then loaded it back up and chambered a round into the barrel.

"That settles it. That religious freak is going down. Even if I don't get any money and I fail my contract, I'll at least have a clear conscience for ridding the world of that piece of scum."

He then picked his Intervention up and ran his hand over it in a gentle manner.

He smirked.

"Besides, Greed and Pride _are_ two of the Seven Deadly Sins."


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: Sorry that I haven't updated in so long, but I've feeling rather slow for quite awhile. But maybe getting back to writing will give me a sense of excitement to continue. I've also been going around and seeing if people would be willing to draw Hatch Striker, but I've only found a friend to do it. It's not da Vinci, but I give him deep thanks for doing it.**

**Thanks for being patient. **

(Hatch, 1st person)

I stared at Renamon and Rika, a sense of dread in my stomach.

Unconsciously, I reached for my knife, but it wasn't there.

Serena, seeing the small amount of panic in my eyes, stood on my chest, faced the Tamer and Digimon, and began to growl, her hackles rising and her legs bent, ready to pounce.

Rika took a step back and Renamon took a step forward with her eyes narrowed.

Snapping out of my trance, I gently began to run my paw on Serena's back in order to calm her down. She turned her gaze towards mine and gave me a questioning look.

I nodded and she sighed, laying back down on my chest. The sense of dread, though, only got stronger, because I just told my only real sense of protection to calm down and not hurt them. I know I was risking possible injury by being unprotected, but I had to show that I meant no harm.

Renamon's eyes softened and she dropped the protective stance. She slowly walked forward.

"_Hatch_...so that's your name."

My eyes widened slightly.

"What makes you think that?"

Renamon smirked.

"I heard your companion shout it out all the way from the waiting room. I figured something might've been wrong, so Rika and I decided to investigate."

Rika was now walking into the room.

"So you really _are_ a Renamon. I don't see how you could've avoided us so well."

I smirked at her.

"An assassin needs to be able to cover his tracks."

I left out the part where Renamon possibly knew where I was living.

"I guess you're the one who took care of that Rogue Digimon while most of us were away?"

I nodded.

"It was an Ogremon. Tough one too."

Serena tensed slightly at the mentioning of that Digimon.

"But nothing I couldn't handle."

I looked at Renamon's eyes. They were a little narrowed.

"So...are ya going to destroy me? I am pretty helpless right now."

Renamon shook her head. My sense of dread began to disappear.

"I don't fight Digimon that are in such a helpless state. Yamaki says that you don't seem dangerous, so I'll trust his word...for now."

She crossed her arms at the last part.

A thought passed through my head.

"Yamaki said that my equipment was being cared for by Hypnos. Where is my equipment exactly at Hypnos?"

Rika crossed her arms this time.

"And why should we tell you? How do we know this isn't just some charade?"

Serena gave a loud snarl.

"You better watch it, or else I'll rip it out."

Rika actually stepped back.

"I'll never get used to a talking dog."

I held Serena back before she could move. She looked at me, and I shook my head and whispered to her.

"No need, Serena. Even without my equipment, I can still handle myself."

"But what about the lantern? And the revolver?"

"They don't know what the artifacts are capable of. Besides, they chose _me_, so there isn't anything Hypnos or the Tamers can do. We just gotta be patient and wait for the perfect moment to get them back."

Serena nodded before lying back down.

Renamon uncrossed her arms and turned towards the door.

"I guess we should let you get your sleep. You'll be coming with us to Hynos when you're able to walk again."

"...And if I refuse?"

She turned her gaze towards mine and narrowed her eyes.

"Then you'll be considered a threat."

She then left with Rika following.

I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my snout.

"Why is everything in the world against me? I never asked for this."

Serena nuzzled my neck.

"My mother always told me everything happens for a reason."

I felt instantly relaxed by her words.

"Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be able to sneak away from them once my legs begin to work. All I gotta do is grab you and jump into the nearest shadow."

Serena grinned a little.

"If things begin to get messy, then that'll have to be your best bet."

"It can be plan B. For now, I'd like to get my equipment back, or at least figure out where it is inside Hypnos."

We both nodded in agreement.

(Renamon, 1st person)

I stood outside the doorway, my ears tuned to their conversation.

I had heard everything they said.

I still thought it was wrong that we were treating him as though he was a definite threat to all of us, but I certainly wouldn't want him to leave before I learned more about him.

I turned and headed back to the rest of the group in the waiting room.

(Unknown, 3rd person)

It was a good thing it found out where the controls to Hatch's endorphins were located. Even if he was acting calm, he was pretty much on his way to a heart attack from all of his stress.

He needed a reliever, and it gave it to him.

Now, it can only sit back and watch the world from behind Hatch's eyes. It knew that Renamon was nearby, but there was no way it could get him to notice without attracting attention.

For now, it'll just give him help once it is needed.

**Author's Note: Well, I hope this satisfies all my readers until next time.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: Sorry that I haven't updated the story in awhile, I've been pretty occupied with my other stories. Hope you can forgive me.**

(Unknown, 3rd person)

On top of a large, five story brick building, a figure was sitting on the edge of the roof, a CheyTac Intervention sitting on the rising edges that acted as a way to stabilize the powerful sniper rifle he was carrying.

He had the sight inside of the scope on the Intervention pointed at a man who stood at a podium in a city park just across the street. The man was preparing to give a speech.

"That's him, Mr. Striker. You will do your best to fulfill your part of the bargain and erase that evil stain that calls itself Senator Elwood Keller. Otherwise, I might have to erase _you _instead."

Hatch didn't move his head, but he moved his hazel eyes and gave the cult leader a glare that could melt steel, though it went unnoticed because of the gray hood of his sweatshirt that was pulled up and the brim of his black Harley-Davidson cap pulled down slightly to cover his identity.

He saw the glint from the hammer of the flintlock pistol that was pointed at him from beneath Prophet Abraham's jacket.

The man was probably in his 50's, and the pale skin and short, graying hair only made him look older. His brown eyes were almost dark enough to almost be considered to be black.

"I could probably do better at aiming if you didn't have a fucking gun pointed at my head you fucking psychopath."

He heard the flintlock's hammer get cocked back once.

"You will watch your tongue, brat. Just kill the senator and our business will be through."

_'Asshole...'_

Hatch went back to aiming the center of the reticle at the senator's head. He cocked the bolt and loaded a round into the chamber. He then went over his usual checklist and list of information.

_'1 round loaded; 5 rounds total. Distance is estimated at 220 yards.'_

Hatch then turned a dial to adjust the scope for distance.

_'No wind speed, thank God. Distractions...?'_

He cast a glance at the flintlock pointed at him and the sick sneer he saw on the cultist's mouth.

_'...You know what? Fuck this. He isn't even using it right. No way in hell he knows how to use a flintlock._

"If you want to see his head explode, you might wanna stop staring at me and look at the senator."

Somehow, whether there really was a God, or just dumb luck, Abraham actually turned to look. Hatch slowly pulled his M1911 from it's shoulder holster and he held it close to his chest with his left hand, while the right hand still gripped the Intervention's pistol grip. He shifted until the M1911 was far enough from his chest to not hurt him.

Since he was in a slouched sitting position with the rifle propped up, his opened gray sweatshirt hid his pistol from view.

That was when Prophet Abraham turned back to glare at Hatch.

"Why haven't you killed him yet?"

Hatch slowly turned his head and looked right at the cultist leader.

"'Cause I just realized that all you say is nothing but whiny bullshit and that if you want that senator dead, why don't you just kill him yourself?"

Abraham growled and pointed the flintlock right at Hatch's head. But the prophet had made a mistake while doing so.

He had raised the flintlock up too fast, spilling the primer black powder out of the ignition pan underneath the hammer. The gun was certainly going to misfire...

...and that was all Hatch needed to stand up, drop his rifle, reveal his M1911, and point it at Abraham.

"You messed with the wrong assassin, cultist."

Prophet Abraham cocked the hammer back one more time.

_'Shit, there went my first advantage.'_

"You will drop your weapon you _disease_."

He spat out the last word with disdain and venom. Hatch only shook his head and smirked at the prophet.

"You know, you had lost before you even contacted me."

The prophet growled, but Hatch countered with a vicious snarl that only belonged on a pissed off wolf.

"You didn't think I wouldn't study up on my contact before accepting the contract? You didn't think I wouldn't figure out your pattern of work?"

Hatch spat at the ground in front of Abraham.

"You're a filthy liar who corrupts innocent people and make them blindly follow you, do what you want, then use them as cannon fodder for the feds. More than five thousand people have died because of your insane logic and delusional thinking."

Hatch pointed the barrel of the M1911 at Prophet Abraham's chest, right where his heart should be.

"I should just kill you right now and let the flies eat your rotting corpse."

Abraham spoke in blind fury.

"YOU WILL SHUT YOUR DISGUSTING, PEASANT MOUTH YOU INFERIOR USURP!"

He pulled the trigger, the hammer coming down in almost slow motion, hitting the striker and making large, bright sparks.

It hit the pan...

...nothing happened.

Hatch began to laugh.

"As I said before, I should kill you...but..."

He twitched his arm and shot the prophet in the left knee.

Abraham's pained yell drowned out the sound of the pistol's echoing firing. He fell to the ground, the flintlock clattering out of his hand as he gripped his bleeding knee.

Hatch put the M1911 back into his shoulder holster and picked up the shell casing, placing into his sweatshirt pocket.

"...but I think it would be MUCH more entertaining to watch you squirm on TV while the judge reads off the crimes you have done and gives you the death penalty. I may not get credit for your capture, but seeing you in the electric chair would be just as satisfying."

Abraham only cursed at him.

Hatch chuckled before making his way to the door leading to the stairs., hoping to leave quickly before the screaming citizens below find out where the shot came from.

(Hatch, 1st person)

I awoke and quickly sat up, running a furred hand across my face. I was still in the hospital.

"Again with that dream...what does it mean...?"

Deciding to forget the dream, I reached over to the side table and picked up the remote and turned on the TV.

I stopped when I saw the headline on the news.

**Meeting of the United Nations Adjourned**

I turned the volume up so that I could hear the newsman who was speaking.

"_At 9:00 PM today, the meeting of the United Nations in New York City has finally come to a close. I'm getting word that the other nations have finally come to recognize the outbreak of 'Digimon', as these so called creatures have been known as, in Shinjuku District, Tokyo, are of legitimacy and not some sort of hoax created by the Japanese government."_

"_Reportedly, there has been sightings of these 'Digimon' in the United States, as well as in places in Europe, Russia, China, and in Korea. After much debating, the Japanese government has come to the conclusion that a military barrack be created in the Shinjuku District and lightly armed soldiers to patrol the streets in order to keep the citizens safe."_

"_We'll have more word on the situation at 12:00 PM."_

I turned off the TV.

"...Oh...shit."

**Author's Note: I figured it was about time I got this chapter out of the way so that I could finally move on with other things. Sorry it took so long!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: Wow...I can not believe that people are still reading my story and checking it for updates! Even though it's been so long! I applaud to everyone! I will now end the suffering and give you what you want!**

**A little warning though, my absence has given me time to practice my writing, so the story's writing style may be a little different.**

**BTW, I'm using real brands and names in this story.**

(Hatch, 1st person)

Well, the shit has really hit the fan this time, now that I take the time to think it over now.

I'm pretty much dead from the waist down, the media is still trying to get to me, I have the Japanese version of the Men in Black keeping a tab on me in the shape of Yamaki, and now the Japanese government is going to have armed soldiers patrolling the area. I'm pretty sure that there's soldiers guarding the hall leading to my room right now.

I also don't have any of my weapons or equipment, my D-Arc is gone, and I don't have any energy left to use my powers, since my body was using it to heal my damaged spine. My only defense was Serena, and she slept most of the time on my chest.

It's not like I'm complaining about that though, since she's pretty warm and has kept me company for the last week I've been here.

I do have some complaints for the hospital though.

The hospital staff is either fascinated by me, or is deathly afraid of me. I mean, the nurse that has been assigned to me won't stay in my room for more than a minute, while the doctor that watches my monitors won't stop asking me questions about our anatomy and how we use our powers. I also think the last nurse to visit me was trying to poison me, since the stuff she had injected into the IV was making me feel ill.

But Serena was usually the one to make sure they didn't over-stay their welcome or to make sure I wasn't being harmed.

You wouldn't wanna mess with a talking dog with sharp fangs, would you?

Unsurprisingly, I didn't get a lot of visitors. But what _was _surprising, was that Yamaki actually visited me about four times a week.

He kept the media away and kept me posted on current events in Shinjuku, like where the military barrack was being constructed and where they were going to be patrolling. Luckily, it wasn't going to be anywhere near my water tower home.

But even after all that stuff, the one thing that has been on my mind the most is the things that Serena and Yamaki have been saying.

They keep saying that I'm acting rather strange and my appearance has been changing. Apparently I'm having mood swings, acting..._feminine_..., and, according to Serena, I'm changing colors and talking in a higher pitch in my sleep. The colors seem to be the same, like my silver patches of fur changing into a scarlet or simple red color while my black patches of fur change into a golden color.

Yamaki even said that my eyes turned golden during one of my mood swings instead of being my usual hazel. Heh, what a riot! Am I right? Heh heh heh, absolutely absurd if you ask me!

But all manner of joking aside, I also wonder about the dreams I've been having and what they mean. I keep seeing images of what happened in my past as an assassin. From the kills I've claimed to the information I've stolen to the people I've worked with.

It's like seeing a movie made out of the things that have happened in my life. But what scares me about it, is that I feel like there's someone viewing them with me, like someone is sitting in the seat next to me, eating popcorn and drinking a soda while jabbing me in the shoulder and asking me what's happening or asking when the good part is supposed to happen.

I just wish that this was all a dream and that any minute now, I'll wake up in my bed, find that I have a contract pinned to my tack board, and then get out of the camper and hop into my Jeep, then go on to complete my contract, laughing about this absurd dream I had where I was a Digimon that met a talking dog and broke his spine from falling 6 stories while saving a little girl.

I would laugh right now, if the thought didn't make me wanna cry. If I had a bottle of Scotch with me right now, I'd be drinking myself into a coma.

"Hatch? Are you alright?"

I was brought out of my thoughts by the soft voice of the Blue Heeler I've come to know and love as a companion.

I opened my eyes to see her standing over my prone form.

"I'm fine Serena."

She leaned down farther.

"Are you sure? You look troubled."

I shook my head.

"Like I said, I'm fine. Just thinking about things."

She gently licked my face and then laid down on my chest, her muzzle resting against my neck.

"If there's anything troubling you, just remember that I'm here in case you want someone to talk to, alright?"

I smiled and ran a hand across her head and down her back.

"I will, thanks Serena."

I closed my eyes, deciding that resting instead of dwelling on my problems would be the best course of action for now.

…

"_AssassinRenamon_..._wake up._"

I slowly opened my eyes.

It was dark outside and inside my room. I could see two silhouettes in the darkness. I drew my claws out and took on a defensive pose.

"_Relax, it's only Yamaki._"

I could make out the shape of a dog in the darkness. It was Serena.

"Serena? Yamaki? What's going on?"

"_shhh._"

I quieted down.

"_What's going on?_"

Yamaki waved someone over to me. I could make out a gray coat and see the reflection of the night sky in a pair of glasses.

"_Janyu, I need you to unhook him from the monitors so we don't trip any alarms. I don't want anyone coming up here._"

Yamaki turned to face me.

"_We intercepted a message from the military group that's here. They're on their way to bring you in for questioning. It's our belief that they'll do more than that, so we're going to bring you in to Hypnos so you can recover there._"

The tell-tale sounds of wires being disconnected and rearranged brought my attention to Janyu, who was now putting the cover back on one of the machines.

"_There we go. We can go now._"

Janyu leaned over and began feeling on my arm for the IV. I hissed a little when I felt the needle get pulled out of my arm gently. He then leaned over and pulled a pad that was in the same arm. It was likely the thing that was watching my heart rate.

I pulled off the covers and tried to swing over the edge, but my legs were still unresponsive.

"_Here, let me help._"

Janyu wrapped an arm around my torso and pulled me off the bed, holding me up until Yamaki came over to assist, both of them now holding me up while I wrapped an around around their necks in order to take off some of the slack.

We began making our way out of the room, with Serena at our heels.

Our merry band's progress was slow, considering we had to walk slowly and quietly while avoiding any passing doctors and nurses.

"_What about the cameras?_"

Yamaki answered me as we got to a stairwell.

"_We currently have them running on a loop. No one who isn't paying special attention should be able to tell the difference._"

We continued our journey down the steps, the claws on my feet scraping the floor every once in awhile.

My sensitive hearing caught the sound of boot covered feet and the speech pattern of a soldier on the floor above us.

"Sir, the Digimon is not in this room."

"What, but the doctors told us that it was here! And according to these charts, it's supposed to be paralyzed! How can the Digimon have known we were coming and get away when it shouldn't even be able to walk?"

I cursed.

"_Shit, they're on to us._"

Yamaki nodded.

"_Forget stealth, we need to move NOW!_"

Janyu and Yamaki began running while still keeping a grip on me. I should be thankful that I was built to be light.

We made it to the bottom floor as the feet on the top floor began to run around.

Janyu opened the door and we charged through the hallway, nearly knocking over a passing doctor, and made our way to a back entrance to the hospital. It must've been the motorpool, since the area had a few ambulances parked in the area.

The two led both me and Serena to a black car, a Toyota Lexus LS by the looks of it, that was hidden between two of the ambulances.

As they opened the door and set me inside the back seat of the car, I groaned a little in pain. The IV they unhooked from me was what was keeping the pain from my still hurt spine at bay. I guess the painkillers that were in the liquid were wearing off.

Janyu laid his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry, we'll get you hooked back up on some medication once we get you back to Hypnos."

He smiled reassuringly at me before closing the door, pausing to let Serena hop in and crawl onto my lap, and then got in the passenger side of the Lexus.

Yamaki got in the driver seat and started the car. He pulled out of the garage and onto the road. I looked at the entrance of the hospital and saw a Toyota Type 73 Medium Truck and a Komatsu LAV parked there.

It looks like they were expecting a fight. But in this case, they were wrong.

I saw one of the soldiers out front point at us and yell something.

Crap. I guess they'll get that fight.

I yelled towards Yamaki.

"We've been spotted, hit it!"

As the soldiers clambered onto the LAV, Yamaki slammed his foot on the gas pedal and we took off down the road.

I could see the high powered lights of the LAV behind us and gaining.

Yamaki began swerving in order to avoid the military vehicle that looked like it was trying to ram us.

I looked at the clock as he swerved again. It looked to be about 1:00 AM. Thank goodness, that means there won't be any chance of me making a mistake for what I'm about to do.

"Is there anyway for them to identify us?"

Janyu looked back at me.

"No, we don't have any recognizable plates, so they shouldn't be able to trace us."

I nodded.

"Good, then they won't be able to accuse us of our actions."

Janyu looked at me in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

I nodded towards the glove box.

"Are there any guns in this car?"

Janyu's eyes widened behind his glasses.

"Are you insane?"

"Right here."

I felt something solid land on my lap and saw Yamaki retract his arm back onto the steering wheel. The car jolted as the LAV hit us.

"Use that, they're standard issue to the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force."

The car rocked again from another impact.

I grabbed the item and examined it.

A black Minebea PM-9 machine pistol with a 25 round magazine.

I grinned, my fangs glinting from the reflecting LAV lights on the rearview mirror. This was gonna be fun.

Janyu's eyes widened as I started to roll the window down. He looked as though he was gonna have a panic attack.

"Are you MAD! You can't just SHOOT at them!"

I looked back at him, still grinning like a madman.

"No worries, I won't try to hit anyone. I just need to disable their vehicle."

I spoke as though it was a common, everyday occurrence, and it didn't really seem to calm him down at all.

Serena placed a paw on my thigh.

"Please be careful."

I scratched her ear with my index claw.

"I'll be fine."

I leaned out the window with the PM-9. The LAV was about to ram us again. I took careful aim at the front left wheel.

I opened fire.

9x19mm Parabellum rounds spewed out of the barrel at 1100 RPM with a loud "rat-ta-ta-ta-tat", the barrel flashing at the end and tiny pieces of the road flying as the bullets that missed their target struck the pavement.

The tire of the LAV almost disintegrated instantly when the rest of the rounds shredded the rubber.

The LAV, after losing traction because of the flat and shredded tire, began to skid left and ran into a parked car, rolling over the top and coming to a rest when it hit a pole, the roof now dented because of the roll and the right fender pushed in.

I smirked as I sat back into my seat, small wisps of smoke coming out of the barrel of the PM-9. On impulse and old habit, I ejected the magazine and checked it over. Only 7 rounds left.

I looked up and saw that everyone's, including Yamaki's, who was looking in rearview mirror, eyes on my.

My smile lessened to a smirk as we managed to pull through the security gates of Hypnos unnoticed.

"What?"

**Author's Note: Well, whaddya think? Does this make up for the absence? I hope it does. Well anyway, thanks for sticking with me, my loyal readers! Remember to leave a review if you can!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: Seeing as I now have a lot of free time, since I finally finished a project I was doing, I figured I would write a chapter for you guys. Thanks for the reviews! Plus, I've been itchin' to get this out of the way. And to MyDigitalHazard, my friend, you got good timing when it comes to asking questions.**

(Hatch, 1st person)

It was my interrogation in Nevada all over again.

Except I had a talking Digimon/Blue Heeler hybrid companion named Serena waiting outside the door and only one Men In Black doing the interrogating and a scientist named Janyu Wong was in the room. And I hope he doesn't think I don't know there's armed personal standing by, ready to put me down like a rabid animal and then pull me apart to see what makes me tic.

I was in that hospital bed they had promised me, getting reamed by Yamaki about the incident with the PM-9 and the LAV.

Dammit, I should've remembered. Digimon, except for a select few, shouldn't know how to use firearms at that efficiency.

"AssassinRenamon, I'm going to ask one more time: how did you know how to use that gun so accurately? Last I checked, only Astamon and Commandromon use weapons like firearms."

I don't know why, but I was starting to get really angry over this. How dare this guy question me! It's not like I did something wrong!

"Does it fucking matter? At least I stopped them."

"You know that that won't satisfy me Assassin."

"Should I care?"

Yamaki pulled off his sunglasses, massaged the bridge of his nose, and sighed. Just what he needed, a stubborn Digimon with secrets. Am I right?

"Look, Assassin, it's not my decision to do this. My superiors are already breathing down my neck for letting a Digimon shoot at the Japanese Self-Defense Force, but now they want me to gather intel on you. They're curious, and that's the bad thing."

I _really _didn't care anymore.

"Tell them they can go shove it up their momma's ass."

Yamaki's patience was running out, I could tell. He was digging his nails into his palms.

"For God's sake, Assassin! It's not my decision! They want intel, and they won't hesitate to have the scientists come in here and pull you apart binary by binary until they know what you are!"

That was my breaking point.

(3rd person)

Yamaki saw a glowing gold color lace into the Digimon's hazel eyes. Scarlet colored patterns formed around his eyes and traced down to his arms. His fangs were bared, signifying his growing anger.

Then, to the complete surprise of Janyu and Yamaki, he ripped the blanket off himself, threw his legs over the side of the bed, and stood. He was now stalking towards Yamaki. The energy this Digimon was giving off was almost making the air in the room smothering.

Janyu spotted something else that was off with AssassinRenamon. There was a gold colored plate-like object covering the Digimon's spine.

Hatch stood so close to Yamaki that he was almost touching muzzle to nose with him.

"You don't think I don't know that?! YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THEY'LL TURN ME INTO AN EXPERIMENT?!"

Fire of silver started to flicker on his arms and hands.

"I KNOW I'll become something to be put on the wall for you're fucking scientists to gaze at! I bet they're down there RIGHT NOW warming up they're tools, ready to split me open like a fucking watermelon! BUT ISN'T A DIGIMON ENTITLED TO THEIR SECRETS?! AREN'T WE ALLOWED TO HAVE THINGS TO OURSLEVES?!"

Gold flames began to flicker and mix with the silver.

Yamaki knew that this was all getting out of hand. He knew the Digimon had rights, but tell that to his superiors and about a quarter of Shinjuku's population. He saw the Digimon as living, breathing people, but they saw them as digital monsters.

Funny, since that is technically what a Digimon is. A Digital Monster.

"I'm sorry, AssassinRenamon, but you don't have a choice. You either tell me what they want to know, or you will be forced to tell them."

Two black and burning paws grabbed Yamaki's jacket, where he was then lifted up and off his feet by the AssassinRenamon.

Hatch's eyes were now almost completely gold, and the energy radiating off him was almost suffocating Yamaki.

"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT YOUR SUPERIORS!"

Hatch then threw Yamaki.

The man hit the wall behind him, which had the door leading out, with so much force that he went threw the flimsy wall and out into the hallway, particles from the drywall landing on him.

Janyu was about to run for the intercom to call for assisstance, when the AssassinRenamon began to yell in agony.

He was clutching his head, the flames flickering and then disappearing. The scarlet patterns were starting to both fade and intensify, now appearing on his arms, but oddly enough, the scarlet patterns turned gold when they touched the black on his forearms.

He was now throwing himself around, knocking into a table, the hospital bed, and the monitering equipment.

"GAAAAAaaaaaaAAAHHHHHHHhhhhh! MAKE IT STOP! THE PA-AAAAHHHHHHH! _Far cessare DOLORE! Io non lo sopporto più! POSSO SENTIRE LE VOCI! _AAAHHHHHH!"

Then, as quickly as it had started, it stopped. Hatch stopped feeling the crippling agony that was going through his head, making it feel as though someone had started a fire in his brain and was in the middle of stabbing it with a hot cow branding iron.

There was the sound of shattering glass, and the gold plate on his back fell apart, turning back into an energy mist that went back to encircling his body.

Hatch's leg began to visibly tremble and shake, before he finally fell and landed on his side. He didn't lose consciousness right away though.

He was awake long enough to see Serena come running into the room and to see two armed men being told to stand down by Janyu and, strangely, Yamaki.

…

(Hatch, 1st person)

…

_I know this place._

I stood there, in the emptiness. The window had long been shattered, only a few frames on the rusting bars left. The walls and floors were nothing but bare concrete, littered with old stains of who-knows-what. The old wooden door hung there on one hinge, about ready to fall.

I was in my old uniform. A black sweatshirt with the hood pulled up, gray urban camouflage cargo pants with black kneepads, a kevlar vest underneath the sweatshirt, a tac vest over the sweatshirt, black combat boots, and fingerless gloves.

I also had some patches sewn into the sweatshirt. The patch on my right shoulder showed a silver slash mark with a silver fox's head next to it. Underneath it was another patch that read 'Lost' in silver letters on a black background. The patch on the right side of my chest said 'Striker'.

My trusty Intervention was on my back and my M1911 was in it's holster on my right hip. But this time, I had a large machete strapped to my right leg.

"Pripyat. Still as ghostly as it was years ago."

I turned at the slightly muffled and familiar voice.

Standing in the doorway was a tall man in his early twenties, though you could never really tell.

He wore a sweatshirt as well, except his was a dark grey and the hood was pulled down, a black kevlar vest over it, blue jeans with a few pouches strapped to his legs, the same kind of black combat boots, a belt of .50 caliber rounds wrapped around him like a sash, and a big black scarf that was wrapped around his neck with both ends hanging down the front, one end hanging lower than the other. He had on the same patches on his right shoulder as mine, but he had a different last name on his.

You couldn't tell what his face looked like, since it was hidden behind one-way tinted ski goggles, the black scarf that was covering the lower half of his face, and a black WWII-era German helmet that he wore.

I could tell he was smiling behind that scarf. He always seemed to have a smile on his face.

"Alex Backstrom."

The man, named Alex, walked forward until he was beside me.

"Glad to see you haven't forgotten me, Hatch."

He pulled the scarf down to reveal his blonde goatee and somewhat pale skin. He then pulled the helmet off, revealing his shaggy blonde hair. He then finally removed his goggles, showing his blue eyes.

He sighed and ran a hand down his face before walking over and staring out the window and gazing at the empty apartment buildings that made up this district.

I stepped forward and joined him at the window as I pulled down my hood. I crossed my arms and leaned them and the window sill.

"It's like you told me 'Razor': 'A friend lives on, but their memory will never die'.". You told me that when Smitty was killed."

Alex put a hand on my shoulder.

"You can't keep bothering yourself by saying that, Hatch. He sacrificed himself so we could escape. Besides, he took nine of them with him."

My hand clenched and I swung my fist, shattering the rest of the glass that was on the window.

"Don't even fucking joke about it! There wasn't even anything left of him when we came back!"

Thunder rolled across the sky and the rain began to fall.

Razor took a step forward and leaned next to me.

"Smitty would want us to remember all the good times everyone had."

I slumped forward and buried my face into my arms.

"Like _what_?"

"Like the time we found you."

I lifted my head a little at the fond memory.

"You were just a lonely teen assassin for hire living in that truck of yours. We saw that you had a magnificent gift for combat. We couldn't just let you fade into the black and lose who you were. Smitty was the first friend you ever had. Nothing will change that. As long as you remember him, he will always be with you. And all that was a few years ago."

I sighed.

"I guess you're right."

"Of course he iz, he vas our zpy after all."

I turned at the door to see who was speaking with the faint German accent.

Standing at the door was a woman. But as I knew, if you say that, she would think you were insinuating that she was a feminine valley girl and then break your jaw.

She wore a black sleeveless shirt underneath a grey kevlar vest, black jeans, and a silver Celtic Christian cross with a red triskelion in the center around her neck. She had the same patches that were on Hatch's and Razor's shoulder on her vest, right next to the patch that had her last name. She was also wearing a grey baseball hat and a pair of goggles were around her neck.

Razor chuckled as he stood up.

"And you were our demolitionist and mechanic, Anna Baader."

Anna scowled at Alex.

"I zhought ve vere over zhis Razor, I'm to be called 'Pike'."

"And _you _were going to learn to control your accent before it gets too hard to understand ya."

I stepped between them before Pike ripped Razor a new one.

"Alright, don't start killin' each other. After all, if one of you dies, that means the perpetrator has to watch over Irish when he goes on one of his benders."

Both Pike and Razor stopped immediately what they were doing and backed away from each other.

Having to babysit the reason why 'Irishman' and 'doctor' shouldn't be in the same sentence was NOT worth killing the other. Even if Pike believed it was justified and Razor was doing it in self-defense.

I sighed and sat down in an old chair. Luckily it held.

"I gotta say, it's good to see you guys again. Though, I'm pretty confused right now. Last thing I remember was being a Renamon and losing my temper for some odd reason. Now I'm in Pripyat, in an abandoned apartment with you guys. This feels like some crazy dream right now, you know?"

I chuckled a little.

"Oh, it is."

My eyes snapped to Alex.

"What the hell do you mean? You better not be playin' me Razor."

Razor only smiled.

"This is a dream Hatch. How do you think you suddenly got to Pripyat in the good ol' Ukraine all the way from Japan? And plus, you're human now, not a Digimon. Though I gotta say, I think 'AssassinRenamon' fits you better than old Hatch Striker."

Razor then gave a sideways look at Pike with a smirk, who only glared back.

"Don't say it."

"Hey Pike-"

"_Don't_ say it."

"Didn't you-"

"_Don't you fucking say it._"

"-say that you-"

"_I'll fucking rip your head off if you say it!_"

"-thought Renamon looked sexy?"

"**AAHHHH!**"

I ignored them both as I thought over what Alex said, even when he started asking for help.

And besides, it was nothing new, even in my dreams. After Anna got drunk one night and came out of the closet while watching _Tamers_ and began describing what she would do to Renamon if she was real, she has gotten real sensitive about it. And she gets _real _pissed when you mention it. A lesbian female German mechanic and demolitionist is still quite the combination.

_'A dream, huh? Not the strangest I've had, but why am I being visited by these dreams of my times as a mercenary? I guess the dream about Father Abraham would make sense, since that was quite the disturbing thing to have happen to me, but the strange black Renamon I dreamed about and that vision of a Renamon in the fire make absolutely no sense to me. What is my mind trying to tell me?'_

"If you don't know, we don't know."

I looked up at Razor, who was now sporting a few bruises on his neck and a fresh red handprint on his face.

"I guess that's true. Though it would still be nice to know. I'm sick of riddles and guessing. I just want to go back to the normal times. Before I was a Digimon."

Pike dusted her hands off as she sat in the chair next to mine, a smug air hanging around her.

"Zomeday, Hatch, you vill figure it out. Maybe later today, or maybe zome other time."

The sky outside began to clear.

Razor sat in a chair on my other side.

"Our time is up, Hatch. We may see you later."

I looked up at them both.

"And I'll remember you both in my new life."

"And we'll always remember you."

They, and Pripyat, disappeared.

…

I awoke in the hospital bed I was given in Hypnos. Looking around I saw that I was the only one in the room. They had also covered the hole in the wall with a large tarp for now.

Pulling off the blanket, I looked at my feet, remembering something that had happened earlier.

My toes wiggled.

I smiled in victory.

**Well, I think that chapter went pretty good. I felt as though I should reveal more about Hatch and at least try to get him moving again. I gotta say, I switched persons during the dream and wound up going back to change the pronouns. It sucked. And I apologize if the German accent was bad. I'm not very good at accents.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's note: Whelp, I think it's about time I got inspired to write more of this story. I feel like I owe you, the loyal readers of my story, more chapters. And, well, here it is.**

(Hatch, 1st person)

"Alright...AssassinRenamon, I need you to try to walk towards me."

Sigh.

I feel like a toddler doing this.

Using the hospital bed as support, I strained to move my right leg forward. It was like trying to stretch a piece of rope. Or trying to wade your way through a pool full of caramel. But in any case, I tried to move towards my doctor, named Rebecca Robinson.

American transfer perhaps?

Now, I'm not the one to ogle women, since I always carried respect for them, _coughPikecough_, But this doctor could easily pull off the hot nurse look and still be able to give you heart surgery.

Long, auburn hair left free to hang down, an hourglass body that would make a super model jealous, a smooth voice with the heat of the sun behind it, brown eyes, and a sense of confidence in her actions that made it seem like she would take on the world if she wanted to achieve something. All this hidden under black scrubs and a white lad coat and black rimmed glasses.

I'll tell you right now that my ego and confidence aren't doing very good right now, since I'm still trying to hold my balance while standing with my leg extended in front of me.

Managing to put my leg down, I now tried my other leg. I wobbled a little, but managed to pull it up to my extended leg.

The golden healing energy of my Tocco di Eva started to shift it's attention from my spine to my legs, seeping into my muscles and trying to build up some mass to the disused fibers and linens while at the same time trying to loosen them.

Not a very good thing, since that means I have to struggle to stay standing on my now very wobbly legs.

God, only two weeks in the hospital and my body's treating it like it's been a damn month of lying still and doing nothing.

Rebecca was obviously writing down my progress on her clipboard, since this is the second attempt of the second day after I found out my legs were responding to my commands.

My foot slipped a little and my hand latched onto the bedding.

Sigh.

A powerful Digimon trying to walk, and struggling, with a hot doctor in the room watching him intensely.

Not one of my better days.

"You can do it AssassinRenamon. You just need to concentrate. Mind-over-matter."

I took a deep breath and started to try to move again. My legs responded a little better this time, now moving like rubber bungee cords.

The healing energy started to work on my legs more, attempting to loosen them more. Man, it's like it has a mind of it's own.

Letting go of the bed, and wobbling a little before regaining my balance, I stood up straight.

The shape of a Renamon's legs allows us to hold our balance better than a human's. With one more deep breath, and a slow exhale, I began to move my legs.

I walked, more like limped, towards my doctor. It was like trying to walk in water, my legs meeting resistance and my feet feeling like they weren't making purchase on the ground. But all in all, I was actually moving this time.

Dr. Robinson shot me a winning smile at my progress, which made me feel confident in my walking, even if it also made me feel a little flustered.

The healing energy from my ability was no longer floating and lingering around my legs, but was now pressing itself against my fur and skin, making it look as though my silver and black fur had gold patterns laced into it like war paint.

As I started to draw closer, she held out her hand, which I gently grabbed once I was closing the gap. My legs, despite being much more looser and feeling more normal, were now trembling a little from the exertion. I was actually panting a little.

"That was good, AssassinRenamon. You have managed to finally walk across your room without collapsing or quitting. Maybe tomorrow we can try to walk out in the hall?"

I smiled and nodded at that. I was making progress. For once, things were going in my favor.

Dr. Robinson led me by my hand back to the bed and helped me get settled back in, wrote a few more things on her clipboard, flashed me another one of her winning smiles, then finally bid me farewell and walked to and out the door.

I'll admit that my eyes _may _have followed her a little too closely. When she was gone, I heard a loud scoff. Serena was sitting by the door, having entered without me even noticing. I blushed a little as she shot me a wry grin. I countered with a glare.

"_What?_"

"Oh nothing~."

Now I heard someone clearing their throat. This time, Janyu Wong was standing at the door with a simple yet unreadable expression. But I could see that he was a little more alert now that he was looking at me.

I sat up and addressed him.

"So, what did they say about my equipment?"

Janyu's expression went sour.

"Well, it would seem that you may have to wait to get your stuff back. We promise you that we haven't done anything to it that could mean harm to you or give us any advantage. But we must keep it locked up until the Self-Defense Force leaves. We're currently holding them back by declaring superiority over their commands and that they have no real right to take it for examination. I'm sorry for any inconveniences."

I groaned audibly and put my face in my hands. It was just one frickin' delay after another. I wanted my damn clothes, guns, blade, and equipment back. I'm terrified of what might happen if the military found out the secrets to the LeMat revolver, double-barrel rifle, and the lantern.

Plus, I felt naked without _some_ kind of firearm or blade in my hand or on my hip. I know I can summon a blade with Blade Conjure, but so far, that power has been rather unresponsive, refusing to give me anything larger than a balisong or a small throwing knife. I need to see the comforting sight and feel the comforting weight of a large, five or more inch blade like my bowie knife in my hand.

I shook my head. Almost had a homoerotic thought. Where the hell did _that_ come from?

Getting back on topic, if the Japanese chain of command was similar to the American version, then I should have a little leeway on it. If Hypnos is classified as a FBI or CIA group, and the SDF was like the Marines or Navy SEALS, then Hypnos should be able to drive them off, or hold them back, for a decent amount of time. At least until the SDF get a piece of paper that says otherwise.

I looked up at Janyu.

"Are you sure I can't just grab my equipment and make a run for it?"

He shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, Assassin. They're watching our every move, and they think we don't know about that. We have the advantage, but that will only last as long as you remain within Hypnos's boundaries. They have orders to capture you the moment you are out.

My eyes narrowed as a thought passed through my head.

"Why am I classified as a High Value Target? One Digimon shouldn't be worth all this effort."

He again shook his head.

"We're not quite sure."

There was a loud ringing noise. Janyu pulled out his cellphone and stepped out, closing the door behind him. Serena took the opportunity to walk over and hop onto the bed. She moved a little, then laid next to me, resting her head on my stomach. I simply sighed, a small smile on my lips. Even in the most stressful of times, Serena never failed to bring a warm feeling in my heart. I guess that's why dog is man's best friend. She opened her eyes a little.

"Tell me about them."

I calmly looked at her.

"Who?"

I could see mischief seep into those brown eyes.

"I know what you used to be, Hatch Striker."

My world stopped cold. I felt as though a chunk of ice had fallen into my gut. She knew my secret!

"Hatch, you made it too easy to figure out that you were once human. The music, the guns, the way you reacted to certain things. Even your _name_. Last I checked, Digimon had no real known name that sounded human."

I sputtered to come up with a way to turn the situation around, but Serena simply shifted herself until she was now resting against my chest.

"When you had your..._episode_, you mumbled a few names in your sleep, as though you were having a powerful dream. You mentioned 'Smitty', 'Razor', 'Pike', and 'Irish'. Old friends?"

I wanted to deny it. I don't know why, but I wanted to deny it all. I couldn't let anyone know. But...she wasn't judging me on it. And, well, she wasn't some damn scientist or doctor. I guess it wouldn't hurt. Besides, she was a Blue Heeler that could freaking _talk_. Not like I'm the only anomaly in the room.

Sigh, might as well get on it.

"Well, where should I start?"

She gazed at me.

"Why don't you tell me who they are? Then you can tell me how you know them."

I shifted a little until I was comfortable. This would take a while.

"Well, maybe I oughta start from the beginning, otherwise, this won't make much sense."

Serena rested her head on my mane and looked me in the eyes, showing that she was paying attention.

…

(3rd person)

Hatch sat there, nursing the bite wound on his forearm. _'Damn foxes. Didn't think I'd run into them. I always thought they would be deep in the woods, not rummaging through the garbage. No, not the foxes, damn the tourists. And I always thought foxes were gentle and shy.' _He looked at the dead fox that he had laid against his Jeep Gladiator. _'No way I can get that by any park rangers. Need to dump it. I could flash burn it in a ditch. Or simply bury it. Less chance of being seen or found.'_

After wrapping his arm in bandages, Hatch opened up a small hatch in the side of the camper shell nestled in the Jeep's cargo bed and pulled out a small shovel.

'BANG!'

'CLANG~'!

Stumbling back onto his feet, the gunshot having made him drop to his stomach, and seeing the large dent in the trenching spade that he had dropped, Hatch dived under his truck and crawled as fast as he could, another bullet nearly taking his booted foot. Getting back up on the other side and using the large wheel to shield his legs, Hatch drew his M1911 from the holster under his shoulder and held it close to his chest. His heart was beating fast enough that it almost hurt. _'FUCK! WHY NOW?! I thought I lost the last of those damn loyalists. He's been dead for over a month, HOW CAN THEY STILL BE FOLLOWING HIM?!' _Another round kicked some dirt up by his right foot. He was close to the rifle passenger side door of his Gladiator. _'If I can get in, I can get my Intervention.'_

Leaning over, Hatch slowly reached for the door handle. He managed to keep himself hidden from view, though he knew that the gunman was waiting for one of his limbs to become visible so that he could put a hole through it. Slowing opening the door, Hatch pulled passenger seat back and reached for his Intervention. But he couldn't reach it, there was box of rations blocking his hand. Hatch stood over more and tried to push it out of the way.

'BANG'

He felt a round graze his shoulder deeply as it went through the driver-side window and embedded itself into the soil.

"GRH!"

Hatch grabbed his shoulder as he collapsed in front of the forward right wheel, dropping his M1911in the process. He was fucked. He's terrible at holding and using a rifle left-handed, and he can't even _reach_ his rifle now that he's zeroed in. Blood was starting to run pass his hand.

'Bang'

…..Wait. Hatch positioned himself to hear better. That last shot was quieter than the last one, and it didn't sound like a high-powered rifle. It sounded more like a pistol.

"Hey, you alright?"

He snapped around, scooping up his pistol with his left hand and pointed it at the figure standing in the trees in front of him. He couldn't fire a _rifle_ left-handed, but a handgun was a walk in the park. The figure held both of their hands up.

"Hey hey, I'm not hostile. I'm an ally."

Hatch didn't lower the Colt an inch. Blood was sticking to the grip.

"Yeah? Then show yourself!"

The silhouette stepped out of the shadows and into the scattered daylight. Well, the figure was in a 'he'. But his garb pretty much threw Hatch in a loop. It looked too urban to be professional grade, yet it was marked as though it belonged to a paramilitary group. The man looked to be in his thirties, with a short, brown beard on his tanned face. His hair was short, covered by a black cowboy hat that had a beaded band on it with a pendant on the end, with the hat shielding his brown eyes from the sun. He wore a black kevlar vest above a grey short-sleeved shirt that barely covered a grey and black fox's head tattoo that was on his right shoulder. Above the vest, he wore a black bandana around his neck. He also had on blue denim jeans with a few pouches strapped to his legs.

His good eyes caught the sight of some patches sewn onto the vest. The top one said 'Lost' in silver letters, while the patch below it said 'Smith' in silver letters. But Hatch's eyes also saw the walnut stock belonging to a pump-action shotgun that was on his back. That only set his nerves on edge.

"You gonna put the gun down so we can get your shoulder looked at? A .308 can do some pretty good damage, even if it only grazes ya. And I'm damn sure that someone else likely heard those shots."

"I can take care of myself."

"Not with a bleeding shoulder and busted window."

"_I'm better off alone."_

"...You don't have to be..."

The Colt lowered a little.

"...What?"

The man, Smith, simply smiled.

"...We've been following you by the bloody swath you left behind. We've heard about Abraham. Everyone has. The only difference between us and the FBI, is that we were able to piece the trail together just enough to keep track of you. Abraham cursed your name countless times, trying to have you arrested alongside him. But you covered your tracks well."

It lowered a little more, now pointing at the man's chest, but Hatch snapped it back up at Smith's head, his expression hardening.

"Look, I appreciate the sentiment, shows that there's still good people in the world, but I can take care of myself."

At the end of that statement, Hatch's wound began to throb, making him wince in pain. The M1911 began to shake. Smith took an almost hesitant step forward.

"All I'm asking is that you let our medic look at your shoulder. Then we can discuss what might happen next."

Before Hatch could voice his response, gunshots rang out in the forest from one direction. The tree next to Smith shot out a few splinters as a large round imbedded itself into the wood. Hatch swung his pistol around towards the gunfire, ready to kill whoever interrupted them. He almost raised a brow when he heard the sound of an engine. It was at that moment that Smith ran forward, scooped Hatch up and ran towards the Gladiator. But Hatch couldn't do anything about it, since the sudden shuffle had moved his shoulder into rather _unpleasant_ position. His yell of pain was drowned out by a loud 'BANG' that was traveling with the engine noise.

Hatch caught a glimpse of a large Toyota Hilux that was tearing up dirt as it made its way towards them. Before Hatch could raise his handgun and fire at it, Smith shoved him into the Jeep's cab and over into the passenger seat, then situated himself behind the steering wheel. Hatch didn't know what he was thinking, but if this man was willing to save him, then he might as well give him the keys. Hatch pulled the keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Smith, who caught them and started the Gladiator's powerful 401 cu in. AMC V8 engine. The Jeep roared to life, the motor making it sound as though the truck was purring in satisfaction.

As the Smith character put the Jeep in into Drive, the Hilux truck came into almost perfect view through the shattered driver-side window. Hatch once again aimed at them.

"Friendlies."

"Huh?"

The Hilux suddenly braked and skidded across the dirt until it was side-by-side with the Gladiator. A man wearing ski goggles and an old German army helmet leaned out the passenger-side window.

"Yo Smitty! The guy brought friends."

"How many?"

"Didn't have time to ask."

Smith pondered this before turning to face Hatch.

"Wanna come with us? I'm sure our company would be better than the people chasing you."

Hatch heard the sound of another vehicle engine coming towards them. It was a no-brainer.

"Fine."

The Hilux peeled out and took the lead with the Gladiator following after it. The third engine sound was catching up behind them and fast. It was at that time that the Gladiator's radio had decided to kick on and play whatever song it was left playing. He really needed to rewire that thing.

_I was a Highwayman_

_On the coach roads I did ride._

"Johnny Cash? Nice taste in music. Can't go wrong with the Man in Black."

Hatch raised a brow at Smith. His hand was still holding the wound on his shoulder.

"...Thanks...I guess."

The vehicle behind us was catching up fast, Hatch could tell by the engine noise that was getting closer. He noticed Smith pull some kind of box from a pouch on his side. It was a metallic color with a dividing line going across the sides and ending with a hinge on one end.

"Take it. It could be useful to you."

Hatch grabbed the box by the top half, where it instantly pivoted on the hinge and locked itself in place. Hatch managed to catch it before the instant change in weight made him drop it on the floor. Now it looked like a submachine gun. Smith grinned as he handed two loaded magazines to him.

"ARES FMG. Used by the US Secret Service. A foldaway and portable machine pistol, basically."

Hatch put his handgun in the glove box, loaded a magazine into the ARES, and then pulled the blowback action back, which was located on the front of the weapon, loading a round in. It was ready to fire.

He started to roll the window down when a round sliced a hole through his right-side mirror.

"My truck!"

Growling, he shifted so his shoulder would be comfortable, then leaned out of the opened passenger window, the ARES in his left hand. Low caliber and good grip should keep the gun from slipping out of his hand. As he looked down the crude sights, he spotted their target.

It looked like a modified Hilux Technical, only it didn't have a machine gun on the back. The bed was loaded with a few armed personal, and the passenger was leaning out of the window, holding an AK-47. Hatch didn't even need to aim to know what to do. Leaning into the window frame for support and pulling the stock into his shoulder, he pulled the trigger, bullets spraying the truck's windshield.

A spurt of blood could be seen splashing the windshield and out of the window as the bullets met their mark.

The truck swerved violently to the right and off the road, colliding with a tree and coming to a jarring sudden stop, the armed personal flying out of the bed and rolling into the ground, some not even moving anymore.

Hatch pulled himself back into the truck and sighed, ejecting the magazine and pulling the action handle back, the round in the chamber popping out and landing on the seat. He simply grabbed it and loaded it back into the magazine, not wanting to waste what could be the saving bullet.

He noticed Smith looking at him funny, making Hatch growl out his words.

"_What?"_

Smith looked back up so that he could see where he was going, but spoke anyways.

"You didn't even flinch..."

Hatch simply looked over the FMG, wiping some residue off of the action.

"I'm numb to the death of others I couldn't care less about. They wanted us dead, as it appeared, so I wanted _them_ dead."

Hatch sighed wearily, feeling tired all of a sudden.

"It's just that...when you're surrounded by death and corruption so much, you grow tired of feeling bad for them and just...just stop caring. You start to accept that what you have in your bare hands is the ability to end someone's life prematurely, no tools required, though they make it easier."

Hatch sighed again and slumped against the seat, folding the FMG up.

"That's why I'm more into long range encounters or long range assassinations. Giving my target a quick death that they don't know is coming until that one bullet tears through their head is the largest amount of mercy I can give. No panic, no pain, no gasping for your last breath as your lungs collapse or your heart spasms."

He put his head in his hands.

"I just wish I could've gone down a different path..."

Smith continued to watch the road as he followed behind the Hilux with his teammates in it. He thought over what Hatch said, and it pained him. They all shared something in common, which is what helped them form their group of mercenaries. He could see that it was in Hatch's eyes that he was one of them.

"Do you want to join us?"

Hatch looked up at him.

"What?"

Smith grinned a little.

"Do you want to join our group? You're more like us than you'd think. We can help you come to terms with yourself, save you from becoming what you hope to avoid."

Hatch thought it over, sighing when he came to a rather fast conclusion.

"I got nothing else, I guess I wouldn't mind. Not like I have a home to go to or a family to go back to. At least being surrounded by you guys will give me a sense of company..."

Smith grinned as he patted Hatch on the shoulder.

"Well kid, welcome to the Lost."

(1st person)

…

Serena had paid rapt attention to my small tale, holding onto each word. Too bad she was already asleep when I finished it a few hours ago. I had to smile a little. It felt good to finally get that stuff off of my back, to finally get it out into the open.

I can gauge Serena's reaction in the morning, but with the sun going down and my eyes getting heavy, I decided that now was the time to sleep.

I can only hope that once I'm out of here, I can go back to at least living in my water tower with my talking dog friend.

Life's too short to be a monster, so I'm going to take my second chance and live how I want to live.

….I hope.

**Author's Note: HOLY CRAP! It's been WAY too long since I've written anything, but I just lost the inspiration to write this story and I pretty much lost interest of Digimon itself after finding something else that was shiny to keep me occupied.**

**I apologize to you all, my readers.**

**Please forgive me. **

**Also, pretty big chance that in my next chapter, I'm going to be changing my writing style, since I feel a little ashamed at how I've been writing this story.  
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	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: ….I guess...I guess I don't really have an excuse, or a valid reason...for being gone for so long. I just couldn't bring myself to continue, from both my lack of inspiration and my laziness to get it to the good parts. This story would have, or rather _will have_, a powerful future. **

**Hell, it I can make it, it'll probably even have a sequel. I can't tell you how much it means to me that I still have people reading this...and how much I want to write knowing that I'm leaving so many people hanging.**

**Once I begin college, and take my writing classes alongside my digital art and media classes, I may even use this story as an assignment, with some things excluded of course...and that reminds me: What the fuck was driving me to write that scene with Serena and Hatch? If I can bring myself to write again after this chapter, I'm going to completely redo that chapter and the material following so that I gain a much more...morally upright story, if that's a real way to say it.**

**Enjoy my fans, for I'm sorry...truly sorry for keeping you all waiting.**

**If things work out in college...I could even bring you some art for the characters I have and will have.**

**As usual, Digimon is not owned by me and never will be, though it'd be cool if I made this into a series...a series NOT for children.**

**Also...well, I hate to say this, but after going over writing styles, I think just sticking with a story told in third person is a little easier than switching between both first and third person...and it allows me more freedom in describing both the characters and the background. Apologies to those that like the alternating perspectives.**

**Once again, enjoy the story!**

He stood on the roof of the neighboring office building, using his keen eyes to look across the street at the hospital, the new moon not even allowing a little light to highlight the figure's features.

The target was still in his room, sleeping.

He could just kill the Renamon right now, like his boss wanted him to, but he wouldn't.

He wanted to _savor_ the kill, for every Digimon that is crushed under his might, the data only makes him more powerful. A little pain...and a little fear makes the ending aftertaste sweeter...

He raked his claws lightly over the stone of the stairwell that led down from the roof.

When the Renamon can walk, when he can _fight_, then the true fight could begin...

…

It was another couple of days later that Hatch was once again awake in the hospital. It was thanks to the constant need to test with Rebecca that the gray Renamon was finally up and walking, though he was a little wooden with his steps. He was told that it would change back into a more loose walk once his muscles had a chance to heal and get a little more blood in them.

He slowly rolled out of the hospital bed and onto his feet, taking his time to stand and hold his balance.

Once that was done, Hatch sighed and ran a hand through the fur on top of his head and ending at his ears, pushing them back and letting them stand back up.

"What a night..."

"Another dream?"

Hatch looked back a lounging Serena and nodded.

"It was about that weird Renamon again...the one that keeps talking to me in my sleep. I swear, each time I see her I feel like a part of me is getting taken over."

The blue heeler tilted her head.

"A sign maybe?"

Hatch gave a scoff as he smiled.

"I'm not that superstitious."

He went over to a window and looked out, seeing the cars that were going by and the people going on with their lives, nothing seeming to change, and the world seemingly normal.

The things that they didn't know...ignorance truly was bliss.

He gave a smile.

_'Wouldn't give it up for anything.'_

Hatch turned around and made his way over to the bed, choosing to sit on the end and flip on the television. He could probably gain a little knowledge on what's going on in Shinjuku.

The TV flicked on to another news report.

It was the same newscaster as the last few times he watched the news.

"_It is still unsure on what the current situation is with this 'new Digimon' that has appeared, but the Chief of Staff that is currently heading the operations of the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force has reassured the population of not only Shinjuku but all of Tokyo that the situation is under control and the rogue Digimon is being dealt with. Sources have stated otherwise, some of them from the anti-Digimon protesters, that the rogue Digimon is currently being held in the care of the relatively secret company of Hypnos in one of the hospitals in Shinjuku, but these sources are only vague and most are inconsistent._

_Meanwhile, a bank robbery in Shinjuku..."_

Hatch had stopped paying attention as he mulled over the current situation and what the news was carrying.

It seemed that the population had no solid lead of where he was, but the SDF likely had a bead on him. For all Hatch knew, there was a sniper outside with a red laser pointer on a high powered scope aiming at his head, ready to pull the trigger.

He smirked at the thought.

If there was one thing Pike taught him, it was that the military and special forces units were a little...entwined with the red tape surrounding more eccentric missions and operations. After all, it wasn't like Digimon would fall under normal law, and it was just a week and a half earlier that people across the world no longer thought of Digimon as being a mass hoax. Hatch would not rot in a prison jail for decades while laws were passed and vetoed on his and the other Digimon's behalf.

His ears perked as he heard footsteps. They were a lot more heavier, so Yamaki or none of the Trainers were there. That only left Janyu.

And of course, right on the dot, said scientist appeared in the door way, a clipboard in his hand. He ran a hand across the back of his neck, straightened his collar, then spoke with a small, relieved smile.

"AssassinRenamon, I'm happy to say that we finally brought your equipment and plan on releasing you from the medical care of this hospital."

Hatch stood and raised a brow.

"I'm sensing a 'but' in that sentence."

Janyu sighed as he looked over the clipboard.

"But...the SDF is currently monitoring the roads to Hypnos. They're having problems coordinating their men since the crime rate increase and civil unrest that's happening caught the police off-guard. Chief of Staff Shishō deployed the JGSDF, or rather the army, to watch and monitor the roads for any Digimon activity. In fact, it's the Eastern Army that has been deployed to Shinjuku, since their military base is located in Nerima."

Hatch nodded faintly as he once again thought over the information, a flood of memories flowing past the dam and filling his mind. He was recollecting what Smith had taught him about military branching and some of the units involved.

The Eastern Army was, if he remembered correctly, an active part of the Japanese Army as a whole, along with four others, with each carrying the responsibilty of defending a part of Japan that their bases were stationed in. The Eastern Army was a branch of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, with their two primary forces being the 1st Division and the 12th Brigade.

Hatch had to learn more. He needed to see if he was right and see what each group carried.

He looked up at Janyu, eying him.

"Do you have any idea on how I could get past whoever's guarding the roads?"

Janyu only scratched his chin and squinted his eyes, a small smile coming to his face as something came to mind.

"Well...I think I have _one_ idea..."

The grey Renamon smiled.

"Perfect timing."

...

A standard Tokyo ambulance pulled out of the emergency entrance of Jr. Tokyo General Hospital and into the street, traveling through the semi-congested streets of the district. Even though it did not have it's blue lights flashing, a few motorists had pulled a lane away in case the ambulance suddenly got an emergency call. The sun was just shing on the street as well, so the last thing a motorist needed was a traffic jam because people didn't pull away fast enough.

It went on as the light turned green, turing left into the main flow of traffic.

There were a few more military vehicles on the road than needed, and some of them were parked in alleyways, almost waiting for something.

The white ambulance van came to a stop at a roadblock near Hypnos, a Type 89 IFV sitting close to the roadblock. They even had a a Type 73 medium truck sitting there. A soldier came over from the IFV and walked over to the driver of the ambulance.

"State your business."

Janyu leaned over from the passenger seat to speak past the driver.

"We are currently running a few projects and we need this medical equipment just in case."

The soldier eyed Janyu.

"And what, praytell, are these 'projects'?"

Janyu shook his head.

"I'm afraid that's classified"

The soldier was looking much more suspicious, and Hatch was feeling much more nervous, but he had confidence that this plan would work.

"Mind stepping out of the vehicle you two? Every vehicle going through here was ordered to be searched for Digimon."

Without a word, Janyu and the pailing driver got out of the ambulance, with a group of soldiers immediately getting to work. Hatch was still waiting, almost smiling. Even after they tore the vehicle apart, the soldiers didn't find anything important. They put everything back and stepped away as the original one spoke to Janyu and the driver.

"You both are clean. Now get moving. We can't afford to keep this road closed for long."

Both of them nodded as the ambulance kept on, taking a right, then going straight through an intersection before pulling into a more hidden parking lot of Hypnos.

Janyu got opened his door and got out of the ambulance, smiling as he motioned for the driver to put the ambulance somewhere. Before it drove off, it's shadow becamse solid black and a figure rose from it, shaping itself into a humanoid fox that stretched himself out, popping his neck as he finished.

Hatch gave a somewhat irritated look at Janyu.

"Cutting it close there Janyu. Luckily they didn't know that I could meld into the shadows."

The Chinese scientist shrugged as he readjusted his glasses.

"It worked, did it not?"

Hatch was about to rebuk when he looked back at the retreating ambulance. He walked over to a nearby shadow left by a pillar and reached into the blackness, feeling for something until he gave a strong yank, a semi-frosted canine form coming out in his grip.

He patted Serena down, rubbed away some of the frost, and simply held her in his arms.

"Sorry Serena, forgot that you can't come out of the shadows as well."

She gave him an annoyed look that made the grey fox give a sheepish smile.

Turning to face Janyu, the scientist led both Hatch and Serena through the back entrance of the Hypnos headquarters, the hallways a seemingly plain white with a tiled floor. Hatch continued to carry Serena as they went to an elevator, got in, then rode it up with Janyu to the top floor.

"Your equipment is with Yamaki, and he's in his office at the moment. I recommend meeting him."

Hatch nodded at Janyu.

"Alright, and thanks for the help. Never would've gotten here without your help."

The scientist only chuckled.

"Of course you could have gotten here, it just would've taken a lot longer with a few more close calls. Good luck to you AssassinRenamon."

The Renamon nodded as he turned around, lowered Serena to the floor, and started walking with the dog following close beside him. He had a relatively good idea where to find Yamaki's office, considering that these organizations tend to have the boss's office in the room with the best view. Well, that and the signs were pointing out his office.

Hatch calmy strode up to the black door and knocked.

"_Come in."_

Hatch raised a brow at Serena at how quick the response was before shrugging, opening the door and walking in, making sure his canine companion was past the door before he closed it.

He stood at the doorway as he saw the silohuette of the man behind Hypnos, who was standing and looking out the large windows of his office.

Yamaki turned and removed his sunglasses, looking Hatch right in the eyes, seeming to smirk.

"Ah, AssassinRenamon. Take a seat, we have _much_ to talk about."

**Author's Note: BANG! Cliffhanger! Oh noez!**

**...Maybe I should sleep now...**

**Also, it will be almost scarily surprising at how accurate I'm trying to make this story in terms of equipment, locations, and groups.**

**And forgive me if my grammar or spelling is a little bad, I literally was up until, like, 3 AM...for some reason my best writing is really late at night.  
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	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: And yet, another one! I think the many movies I've been watching and a few fast-paced gaming skirmishes I've been having with friends actually got me into another writing mood...or I'm making up for this summer. Whichever floats people's boats.**

**Digimon is not mine, yadda yadda yadda, it's copyrighted to someone that's not me, etc etc etc.**

Hatch was feeling a bit of dread as he flopped himself into a black plush chair, crossing a leg over his other. What Yamaki had said disturbed the gray Renamon a little, considering that the leader of Hypnos always seemed to be filled with questions. Serena, seeming to sense the mild distress in Hatch, laid down against his leg and rested her chin on his foot.

It comforted him a little, at that much Hatch appreciated.

Yamaki made his way over to the large office chair behind his desk and sat down, putting his hands together and resting his forearms on the cool wood.

Hatch suddenly found himself smirking.

"'Much' huh? Must be pretty important if I'm the one involved."

Yamaki nodded as his expression remained neutral.

"You know that we can't allow you to roam around Shinjuku now that the Eastern Army is on the front doorstep. You're a valued target now for them."

The Renamon raised a brow.

"This seems a little like overkill just to find me..."

The agent smirked as he leaned back a little farther.

"Believe it or not, AssassinRenamon, but they aren't here just for you, no matter what your ego is thinking."

Hatch scowled at that as Yamaki continued.

"The government of Japan had been mulling over the issues of Digimon for some time now, since the D-Reaper caused quite a stir in the people of Tokyo over a year and a half ago. Ever since that virus had been destroyed the boundaries between this world and the Digital World had weakened considerably, causing mild outbreaks of rogue Digimon across major communication grids."

He gestured at a large map that was displayed on a far wall, with what looked like miles of multicolored threads and dozens of pins stuck in key locations on the green masses and even some in the blue that he guessed was the oceans.

Yamaki continued to speak.

"The main island of Japan...countries like Russia, America, Brazil, Germany, Australia...almost every continent slash Antarctica has been getting sightings of Digimon. The branch of Hypnos located in Nevada in the United States has been sending us updates of the political situation in America, along with other branches in different continents."

He took a glass of water he had sitting on the desk and took a small drink before speaking once again.

"To keep our discussion short, the world is gearing up in case of Digimon attacks, and said Digimon are starting to appear around the world, with anti-Digital Monster protesters only fueling the civil unrest. The Parasimon Incident didn't help very much either after all the damage they caused using Locomon."

The brown-haired man gave a grave shake of his head as he set the glass back down on the desk.

"We were already on the verge of having the military coming here before you showed up. Your appearance only gave them a real reason to visit, especially after you saved that little girl from the fire."

Hatch sighed and spoke up with clear irritation in his voice.

"I better not be the one you're blaming for this. I didn't choose to come to this world. I would've been happy just sitting back and doing what I used to do."

Yamaki leaned forward.

"Really now? Tell me, what _did _you do before you came to our world..."

That was the million dollar question. Hatch had no idea why he was in this world. He had no idea why he was a Digimon, why he was brought here, or why all this happened. Then again...he didn't really remember that much past his early and middle years in the Lost.

Was he dead and was simply reincarnated?

Oddly enough, this didn't seem to bother Hatch...not that much anyways. After all the shit that he had seen in his service with the Lost, he was pretty de-synthesized to weird and just plain unnatural things that happen to him.

The fox Digimon leaned back in his chair and answered Yamaki's question.

"I was...well, I was as my name says. I was an assassin, a hired killer. I was paid to either eliminate or capture those that were of danger or of high value."

Yamaki seemed to be mulling it over as he crossed his fingers on his hands, resting them on the table.

"An assassin you say..."

Hatch smirked.

"For the right price and right reason, though I don't think an organization like this would require the likes of me. Besides, I need my equipment and I need information."

Yamaki slowly shook his head.

"We don't need any assassins. What we need are people that can carry things out. A Digimon would only draw suspicion, especially one as infamous as you right now."

Hatch gave a small tilt of his head, his curiosity peaked at this turn of events.

"And what would you need an expendable soldier for? It's not like this kind of organization carries out hits."

Now Yamaki was giving Hatch a hard look, his brows scrunched together in thought and realization.

"...You sound like you know how all of this works in our world, like you've already known things about this world and the inner workings of it's defense and offense."

Hatch returned the hard look and statement with a glare. His defenses were starting to kick in.

"I'm entitled to my privacy. I may be a Digimon, but I still have a sense of mind and being. I keep my secrets, you keep yours. That's how it works."

The Renamon was squeezing the arms of the chair as he returned to a neutral look, his hazel eyes no longer showing emotion.

"From what I gathered from this conversation, you have things that need to be done and you can't give that job to any of your personal or you'll be traced. You need someone that allows you 'plausible-deniability'..."

Hatch narrowed his gaze at Yamaki.

"What is causing you problems? If the price is right and you supply me with info, then I can have it done clean. Or messy, depending on what it is."

Now Yamaki was showing more emotion instead of a scowl. He was wearing a small smirk.

"You're saying that you want to be a mercenary for us..."

Hatch tapped a claw on an arm of the chair.

"I carry the ability to destroy walls, melt into shadows, travel into a superficial plane, summon blades, a healing factor...and I have 'Assassin' in my name. This may be sudden, and this conversation may have been unforeseen...but it's who I am. Who knows, you might just learn a little about me while I work. One favor for another, right?"

Yamaki continued to stare at the grey Renamon until sitting back in his seat, sighing and putting a hand to his temple.

"I don't know why I'm doing this...but having someone that can crawl under the red tape would be a valuable adversary...I can only offer you equipment and information as a payment should you complete any jobs I give you, since money is currently too valuable of a resource to this organization. I don't have anything gathered for you, so feel free to hang around the building, but just don't go outside or be seen by anyone wearing a military uniform."

He put the hand that had been on his temple back onto the table.

"But let me make this clear: You are both valuable and a liability. We made an oath to protect Digimon, but also protect Shinjuku, nay, Tokyo, _from_ Digimon. You may be a strange and special case, but there is an extreme possibility that you will not be the only one. I can't have you traced back to us. Remember, you were the one who offered to do this kind of work for us, so if you are captured or killed, it was never our business."

Hatch, instead of feeling threatened by the words, actually smirked. Serena blinked as she could have sworn that his eyes had flashed gold and a few patches of fur on his legs had turned red and gold.

The Renamon sighed.

"Just like every contract I've read have I heard those words. Oh yeah..."

He made made a gesture with his hand.

"I only accept my work in writing. If it isn't on paper, I walk out."

The Digimon gave another sighed and leaned farther back in the chair, smiling a little.

"I think you said that you wanted to 'discuss' something with me, right? Might have gotten a little off topic."

Yamaki smirked this time as he laid his hands on the desk.

"I wanted to discuss with you what we should do with you. The only thing we would be able to do is give you a room here and keep you hidden until the JGSDF left, but that wouldn't be happening anytime soon. Since you offered to be a mercenary and we both agreed to it, I will say that we came to a conclusion without asking the question."

This made Hatch chuckle as he stood.

"Well then, if we're done here, then I will simply retrieve my equipment and go on with my day. And, if you have anyone traveling along a street labeled...um...dammit, I'm terrible with this language. It's a white building with 'Rehabilitation' written in fancy gold lettering and the street's under construction."

Yamaki nodded as he stood.

"I know the street. You lived in a water tower, correct?"

Hatch eyed him warily, but nodded.

"I need someone to retrieve the stuff that's in it. A friend gave me that equipment, so I would very much appreciate having them back."

The grey fox leaned on Yamaki's desk, tilting his head a little as his eyes narrowed.

"Now, Janyu said that you had my own personal selection of various weapons and gear. I would like those back as well...Please..."

Yamaki held the stare evenly before pushing back on his seat and getting out of the office chair. He strode over to a small wooden cabinet that was on the wall. He opened it, pulled a lever that was in it, then turned it. A part of the wall slid away to reveal a metal safe about as big as a refrigerator. He dialed in what Hatch guessed was a seven number code into a dial, which he then pulled out. The large door swung open and a small room was revealed.

Yamaki stepped inside the small room, which Hatch stepped over and peered inside.

Weapons.

There were weapons of great variety in the room, and some of them didn't look to be made by the hands of man.

One of them even looked like a glorified Thompson sub-machine gun.

A name went through Hatch's head.

"Is it common for you to take trophies from Digimon, like Astamon's main weapon?"

Yamaki gave a very short laugh as he returned from a small corner of the room, carrying a bag on his back and a rifle that was very familiar.

He tossed the black double-barreled rifle to the grey fox, who swiftly caught it and slung it across his back. Hatch then grabbed the bag from Yamaki while the man spoke.

"Not trophies, data. We needed to know every Digimon in and out should they come again. We managed to save that gun from falling into useless data after we defeated an Astamon that came here. It shot up an entire city block before the Tamers defeated him."

Hatch snorted softly as he adjusted the vambraces on his arms, making sure the D-Arc on his wrist was in place.

"I'm guessing that you did the same with me?"

Yamaki gave a shake of his head.

"No...we didn't, or rather we _couldn't_. Your signature was too difficult to crack, and everything we got off of you didn't offer anything. Not even one of your blades could give us any information."

Hatch smirked.

"I couldn't be interrogated back in my world, not even my equipment can give an answer to any question."

He finally tightened the silver fox head buckle on his black belt, holstering the LeMat revolver on his hip. He decided to keep his hood down and put the metal lantern on his side instead of near the front of his belt.

The Renamon waved a hand at Serena and signaled to her to come over and join him, in which she did. Leaning down to pet her head, Hatch looked back up at Yamaki.

"I appreciate the assistance. There aren't a lot of people out there that would help a dangerous person like me."

Yamaki nodded as he stepped out of the small room, the large vault room closing behind him automatically.

"And I appreciate the orderly cooperation you showed. Last Digimon we tried to get to cooperate destroyed someone's house."

Hatch gave a small laugh as Yamaki led both Hatch and Serena to the door.

The agent continued.

"There's a room you can have a few floors below. Someone can show you to it. It can be...temporary until you can find somewhere else to go."

Hatch nodded.

"Thanks."

Yamaki opened the door to the hall, showing them out.

"No problem, AssassinRenamon."

**Author's Note: Wait...two chapters? In a span of two days? With no long stretch of months between them?**

**Who am I? **

**Oh well, I guess it'll have to be accepted.**

**I decided that I still had the need to write and got another chapter out just to show that this story won't be as dead as it was before.**

**Hope you enjoy it!**


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